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RAMBLING  NOTES  OF 
A  RAMBLING  TOUR 
THROUGH  EGYPT.  PAL- 
ESTINE    AND    EUROPE 


W 


By  C.  C.  ROYCE 


RAMBLING     NOTES 


OF  A 


RAMBLING  TOUR 


THROUGH 


EGYPT.  PALESTINE  AND  EUROPE 


i!» 


By  C.  C.  ROYCE 


7?6 


THE  AUTHOR  has  only  three  excuses  for  the  seeming  ego- 
tism of  this  publication. 

^  1 .  That  reference  to  its  pages  serves  to  recall  and  to 
fix  more  definitely  in  his  mind  many  of  the  pleasurable, 
not  to  say  wonderful  sights  and  incidents  of  the  trip. 

^  2.  That  sundry  friends  have  expressed  a  desire  to 
peruse  its  pages,  and 

^  3.  That  it  is  printed  exclusively  for  private  circulation 
among  such  friends. 

(3) 


RAMBLING  NOTES  OF 
A  RAMBLING  TOUR 
THROUGH  EGYPT,  PAL- 
ESTINE    AND    EUROPE 

BY  C.  C.  ROYCE 


Chico,  California,  January  22^  1912. 

A  journey  long  contemplated  is  about  to  be  under- 
taken. For  years  it  has  been  the  hope  and  the  expec- 
tation that  a  trip  abroad  to  the  land  of  the  lotus  and 
the  sacred  crocodile;  to  the  home  of  the  Pharaohs 
and  the  scene  of  the  captivity  and  final  emancipation 
of  Israel  would  be  vouchsafed  to  us.  That  our  eyes 
might  look  upon  the  land  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey;  the  land  which  Moses  of  old  was  only  per- 
mitted to  view  from  Nebo's  lonely  heights;  the  land 
where  Jericho's  massive  walls  were  leveled  with  the 
blasts  from  the  ram's  horns  of  Joshua's  mighty  hosts; 
the  land  where  Jesus  of  Nazareth  spake  as  never  man 
spake ;  where  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  was 
enacted  among  the  lowly  fishermen  of  Galilee;  where 
the  crucifixion  and  resurrection  of  the  Saviour  of 
mankind  occurred,  and  where  more  than  a  thousand 
years  later  the  faith  and  the  fanaticism  of  the  crusad- 
ing millions  of  Europe  left  their  bleaching  bones  in  the 
futile  effort  to  reclaim  the  holy  city  of  Jerusalem  from 
the  accursed  domination  of  the  Moslem. 

Long  and  earnest  had  been  our  desire  to  sail  the 
waters  of  the  blue  Mediterranean  where  the  opposing 

(5) 


fleets  of  ancient  Rome  and  Carthage  fought  the  fight 
of  barbarous  lust  and  conquest ;  where  the  virile  sons 
of  Greece  annihilated  the  mighty  Persian  fleet  of 
Xerxes,  and  where,  in  the  later  centuries,  the  pirates  of 
the  southern  coast  were  brought  to  a  realizing  sense 
that  a  new  but  potential  power  had  arisen  in  the 
Occident  when  our  Decatur  and  his  httle  squadron 
taught  them  the  wisdom  of  good  behavior.  So,  too, 
our  hopes  had  been  pinned  to  a  desire  to  wander 
amidst  the  ruins  of  classic  Greece,  that  were  reminisc- 
ent of  the  eloquence  of  Demosthenes,  of  the  wisdom 
of  Solon,  of  the  philosophy  of  Plato  and  of  the  mili- 
tary valor  of  Miltiades ;  to  beard  the  lustful  Turk  in 
the  midst  of  the  multiplied  mosques  and  minarets 
of  his  Mohammedan  might  on  the  picturesque  banks 
of  the  Bosphorus  and  the  Golden  Horn,  and  to  wander 
beneath  the  cloudless  skies  and  among  the  sun-kissed, 
vine-clad  hills  of  historic  Italy,  whose  magnificent  and 
awe-inspiring  ruins  speak  of  the  age  when  the  far- 
reaching  conquests  of  Caesar  and  Pompey  and  Antony 
had  made  Rome  the  mistress  of  the  civilized  world. 

And  so  it  has  come  about  that  our  hopes  and  expec- 
tations are  about  to  be  realized — our  itinerary  has 
been  scheduled — our  tickets  have  been  purchased — 
our  saihng  day  fixed  and  this  is  our  last  day  in  Chico. 
It  is  the  closing  of  twenty-three  years  of  continuous 
service  as  Manager  of  Rancho  Chico. 

Locally  it  marks  the  end  of  an  era,  the  passing  of 
Rancho  Chico  after  an  existence  under  Mexican  and 
American  jurisdiction  of  sixty-seven  years,  and 
throughout  most  of  this  period  the  widest  known,  the 
most  picturesque  and  the  most  diversified  in  its 
product  of  any  ranch  in  California.  Its  history  has 
been  filled  with  varying  triumphs  and  vicissitudes. 


Agriculturally  and  horticulturally  it  has  triumphed 
in  its  exhibits  at  county,  state,  national  and  inter- 
national expositions.  Its  owner  has  been  in  years 
past  the  generous  and  genial  host  to  many  famous 
men  and  women,  including  Presidents  of  the  United 
States,  generals  of  the  army,  senators  and  repre- 
sentatives in  Congress,  noted  scientists  and  scholars. 
On  the  other  hand  the  latter  years  of  his  life  were 
deeply  troubled  by  large  financial  obligations  which 
unfortunately  were  not  canceled  until  after  his  death. 
I  leave  Chico  with  mixed  feelings  of  relief  and 
regret;  relief  at  the  lifting  of  responsibility  from  my 
shoulders,  and  regret  at  breaking  the  many  ties  of 
affection  that  cluster  in  a  reminiscent  way  around 
the  ranch,  its  orchards,  its  fields,  its  woods  and  its 
natural  scenery,  as  well  as  the  association  with  its 
many  old  and  faithful  employes. 

January  23, — Left  Chico  at  6.48  a.  m.  for  Sac- 
ramento, arriving  there  at  10  a.  m.  and  leaving  on  the 
Overland  Limited  for  Chicago  at  2  p.  m.  Gen.  N.  P. 
Chipman,  a  friend  of  forty-five  years'  standing,  came 
to  the  train  to  bid  us  God-speed.  The  weather  is 
fine  and  warm  in  the  valley,  but  as  we  ascend  the 
Sierras  the  first  snow  is  encountered  at  Dutch  Flat, 
and  from  there  on  snow  is  omnipresent.  This  is  my 
first  day  without  an  occupation  since  leaving  home  as 
a  boy  fifty  years  ago,  and  I  seem  unable  to  realize  its 
full  significance.  It  probably  means  that  my  life's 
work  from  a  business  standpoint  is  over.  I  am  a 
'^has  been,"  a  back  number,  one  in  whom  the  busy 
world  finds  no  further  interest — one  whose  years  have 
become  a  handicap  and  whose  destiny  is  to  float  for  a 
little  while  as  a  piece  of  water-logged  flotsam,  down 


8 

the  stream  of  life  to  where  it  empties  into  the  gulf  of 
oblivion. 

January  2^. — ^All  day  we  are  passing  through  a 
snow-bound,  sage-brush  desert,  except  in  a  few  fa- 
vored spots,  where  the  system  of  irrigation  has  worked 
a  miracle  in  the  vegetable  world.  Left  Odgen  about 
noon,  and  as  the  shades  of  night  are  falling  we  are 
skimming  the  plains  of  Wyoming. 

January  25. — Passed  Cheyenne  at  5.30  a.  m.  and 
rolled  into  North  Platte  at  1  p.  m.  The  weather  has 
moderated,  the  sun  shining  brightly  and  the  snow 
rapidly  melting.  After  crossing  the  continent  so 
many  times  by  this  route  the  scenic  outlook  is  with- 
out flavor,  the  dead  grass  and  leafless  trees — where 
there  are  any — are  distastefully  monotonous  and  the 
trip  is  stupid  and  tiresome.  Generations  yet  unborn 
will  probably  see  this  vast  area  of  desert  and  unoc- 
cupied land  conquered  by  the  plow  and  teeming  with 
an  industrious  population,  but  it  strains  the  imagin- 
ation to  foresee  it.  And  yet  within  my  own  experi- 
ence and  observation  the  farms  have  multiplied, 
towns  have  sprung  up  like  mushrooms  and  the  agri- 
cultural limit  has  extended  hundreds  of  miles  to  the 
westward  and  back  from  the  railroad  on  both  sides  in 
a  marvelous  degree.     Arrived  at  Omaha  at  7.30  p.  m. 

January  26. — Arrived  at  Chicago  in  the  midst  of  a 
heavy  snowstorm  at  8.30  a.  m.,  secured  sleeper  tickets 
and  left  for  Washington  at  10.30  a.  m.  Found  on 
board  Mr.  James  M.  Chadsey,  whom  I  had  known  as 
a  government  clerk  in  Washington  more  than  forty 
years  ago  and  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  more  than 


thirty  years.  His  hair,  which  was  coal  black  when 
last  I  saw  him,  was  now  white  with  the  frost  of  his 
seventy-four  years.  Passed  through  Fort  Wayne, 
Lima,  Crestline,  Alliance,  Mansfield,  Canton,  Mas- 
silon  and  numerous  smaller  towns,  all  showing  growth 
and  prosperity  under  the  beneficent  influence  of  a 
protective  tariff,  which  the  so-called  progressives, 
acting  as  assistants  to  the  democratic  party  in  Con- 
gress, are  endeavoring  to  destroy.  With  the  com- 
bined efforts  of  Roosevelt,  LaFoliette,  Cummins  and 
their  followers,  the  prospects  for  a  democratic  free- 
trade  President  are  daily  improving. 

From  the  car  window  a  view  of  the  passing  land- 
scape gives  evidence  that  the  melancholy  days  of  the 
year  are  now  regnant  over  hill  and  vale,  over  country 
and  city.  Over  hill  and  vale,  whose  bronzed  glories 
of  autumn  have  passed  away;  over  country  and  city 
where  again  there  is  felt  the  chilling  presence  of  the 
frost  king.  Over  hills  and  over  vales,  every  vestige, 
every  reminder  of  heated  summer  and  mellow  autumn 
have  wholly  vanished;  beautiful  flowers,  verdant 
meadows  and  wealth  of  foliage  have  entirely  dis- 
appeared. Here  and  there  upon  the  hillsides  the 
trees  stand  desolate  and  denuded.  Throughout 
the  boughs  and  branches,  like  invisible  fingers  playing 
upon  many  irregular  strings  of  natural  harps,  there 
passes  and  repasses  the  cold  breath  of  winter's  wind 
wailing  in  a  sort  of  musical  monotone.  Near  by 
there  still  bubbles  the  sparkling  brook  ever  in  motion 
coming  down  from  the  wooded  hills  above,  flowing 
silently  across  some  rocky  pasture  and  finally  burying 
itself  as  silently  amid  the  other  waters  of  a  winding 
river.  From  cottage  chimneys  there  rises  a  hos- 
pitable smoke,  and  reflected  upon  the  window-pane 


10 

there  flickers  the  cheery  fire  on  the  open  hearth.  The 
first  half  of  winter  with  its  snow  and  ice  are  here  and 
surely  the  melancholy  days  are  now  regnant  over 
hill  and  vale,  over  country  and  city. 

January  27. — Arrived  in  Washington  at  8.30  a.  m. 
The  magnificent  new  Union  Depot  (probably  the 
finest  structure  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States,  with 
the  possible  exception  of  the  new  Pennsylvania  sta- 
tion in  New  York)  contrasts  indescribably  with  the 
old,  dirty  and  altogether  disreputable  station  of  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.  R.  at  which  I  landed  on  my 
first  advent  in  Washington,  in  November,  1862. 
How  well  I  remember  that  day  when,  as  a  boy  of  less 
than  seventeen  years,  I  reached  here  to  take  a  clerk- 
ship in  the  Treasury  Department  and  was  assigned 
to  duty  in  the  office  of  the  great  War  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Salmon  P.  Chase.  It  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  great  Civil  War  and  Washington  streets  were 
filled  with  the  steady  tramp  of  arriving  soldiers  and 
the  hotels  were  thronged  with  the  brass  buttons  and 
gilded  epaulettes  of  army  officers,  many  of  whom  were 
destined  to  attain  high  rank  or  fall  gloriously  upon 
the  field  of  battle  ere  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
Capitol  building  was  then  unfinished,  as  was  likewise 
the  Treasury,  and  the  great  State,  War  and  Navy 
Department  building  was  not  yet  begun.  Washing- 
ton, from  a  scattering,  ill-built,  unpaved  and  unpre- 
possessing southern  town  of  those  days,  has  gone 
through  an  evolution  that  entitles  it  to  the  claims 
of  being  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  fascinating  and 
desirable  of  modern  residence  cities.  To-day  and 
the  succeeding  days  to  and  including  January  31, 
were  spent  in  visiting  old  friends,  making  the  neces- 


11 

sary  purchases  and  preparations  for  the  ocean  voy- 
age and  sight-seeing  about  the  city. 

February  1. — Left  Washington  at  10  a.  m.  for  New 
York.  Stopped  over  one  train  in  Philadelphia  to 
meet  by  appointment  and  lunch  with  our  old  friends, 
General  and  Mrs.  R.  B.  Beath.  Leaving  Phila- 
delphia we  reached  New  York  about  five  o'clock  and 
went  to  the  Breslin  Hotel.  The  evening  was  passed 
in  enjoying  the  theatrical  presentation  of  Kismet  by 
Otis  Skinner. 

February  2, — Mr.  H.  W.  Dunning,  the  leader  of  our 
excursion  party,  arrived  from  Boston  early  in  the 
evening,  gave  us  some  preliminary  information  about 
the  trip  and  introduced  us  to  several  of  our  fellow 
excursionists.  An  old  friend,  Prof.  Frank  Stewart, 
called  to  spend  the  evening.  He  has  had  a  highly 
successful  career  as  a  musical  professor  and  director. 
When  I  first  knew  him,  about  fifty-four  years  ago,  he 
was  a  small  boy  and  his  father  was  keeping  a  country 
hotel  at  Troy,  Ohio. 

February  3. — Left  the  Breslin  Hotel  at  10  o'clock, 
a.  m.  and  went  aboard  the  steamship  Laconia. 
The  weather  is  very  cold — thermometer  down  to  zero 
point  at  8  o'clock.  Mrs.  Guy  Kennedy,  W.  M. 
Alexander  and  wife  and  Margaret  Stewart,  old  Cali- 
fornia and  Washington  friends,  came  down  to  see  us 
off.  They  brought  a  farewell  message  and  some 
beautiful  roses  from  Mrs.  Bidwell.  The  steamer 
sailed  at  noon  with  a  large  passenger  list  and  with  the 
sea  as  smooth  as  a  skating  pond.  The  list  of  our 
fellow-passengers  booked  for  the  same  trip  with  our- 


12 

selves  is  made  up  of  the  following :  Rev.  A.  E.  Cross, 
Dr.  W.  H.  Cobb  and  Miss  A.  L.  Frost,  of  Boston; 
Mrs.  Ella  Hubbard  of  Azusa,  Calif. ;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Petit, 
Belvidere,  111.;  W.  F.  Sandrock,  Milwaukee,  Wis.; 
Capt.  W.  W.  Woodruff,  Knoxville,  Tenn.;  Mrs. 
Henrietta  B.  Alexander,  Macon,  Ga.;  Miss  Edith 
Gammans,  Newton  Centre,  Mass.;  Mrs.  Laura 
Gammans  and  Gordon  Gammans,  Portland,  Ore.; 
Mrs.  J.  Q.  Adams,  Omaha,  Neb. ;  Miss  Mabel  E.  Cole, 
Portland,  Ore.;  Mrs.  J.  H.  Ives.,  Chicago,  111.; Mrs. 
W.  S.  Blaisdell,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Miss  Annie  P.  Walker, 
Wynecote,  Penn. ;  Miss  Lilian  Jones,  Conshohocken, 
Penn. ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  T.  Pember,  Granville, 
N.  Y.  We  have  a  delightful  outside  room  and  are 
seated  at  table  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pember,  Mrs. 
Alexander  and  the  ship's  surgeon. 

"We've  left  behind  the  painted  buoy, 
"That  tosses  at  the  harbor  mouth; 
"And  madly  danced  our  hearts  with  joy 
"As  fast  we  fleeted  to  the  south. 
"The  broad  seas  swept  to  meet  the  keel 
"And  swept  behind,  so  quick  the  run, 
"We  felt  the  good  ship  shake  and  reel — 
"We  seemed  to  sail  into  the  sun." 

February  4- — All  day  long  we  have  been  moving 
steadily  on,  assaulting  the  winds  and  waves  until,  as 
night  comes  on,  the  spray  is  dashing  high  up  on  the 
vessel,  but  she  rides  the  storm  like  a  bird. 

Mai  de  mer  has  not  taken  any  strangle-hold  on  us 
yet,  though  the  craving  for  dinner  was  not  sufficiently 
strong  to  draw  us  up  one  flight  of  stairs  to  the  dining 
room.  I  am  testing  the  efficacy  of  MothersilFs  sea- 
sick remedy  and  so  far  faith,  together  with  a  quiet 
recumbent  posture,  seems  to  hold  for  me  a  winning 
hand.    Episcopal  service  was  carried  on  in  the  recep- 


13 

tion  room  this  morning,  but  personal  comfort  out- 
weighed any  desire  to  attend.  Everything  about 
the  ship  is  new  and  clean  and  the  attendants,  who  are 
all  English,  are  extremely  polite,  kind  and  attentive. 
I  have  to-day  several  times  doubted  the  wisdom  of 
two  people  of  our  years  undertaking  such  a  trip  with 
its  rapid  and  repeated  changes  of  climate,  its  untried 
and  mysterious  changes  of  diet  and  its  severe  physical 
strain  in  riding  through  desert  sands,  climbing  rugged 
mountains  and  sleeping  in  strange,  uncomfortable 
beds.  But  the  microbe  of  wanderlust  has  infected  us 
and  we  must  take  our  chances. 

February  5. — The  storm  of  last  night  increased  in 
violence  as  the  hours  went  by — the  wind  blowing  at 
fifty  miles  an  hour,  but  we  went  to  bed  and  were 
sound  asleep,  not  knowing  until  breakfast  time  that 
at  about  1  a.  m.  the  vessel  turned  over  on  her  side  and 
for  a  time  it  was  doubtful  if  she  could  regain  her 
equilibrium.  This  indifference  to  the  situation 
reminds  me  of  the  old  poem  entitled:  ^'The  Sailor's 
Consolation,"  in  which  it  is  recited  that, 

"One  night  came  on  a  hurricane; 
"The  sea  was  mountains  roUing, 
"When  Barney  BuntUng  turned  his  quid, 
"And  said  to  Billy  Bowling: 
"A  strong  nor'wester's,  blowing  Bill, 
"Hark!  don't  ye  hear  it  roar,  now. 
"Lord  help  'em,  how  I  pities  them 
"Unhappy  folks  on  shore,  now; 
"Foolhardy  chaps  who  Uves  in  towns, 
"Wliat  danger  they  are  all  in; 
"And  now  He  quaking  in  their  beds, 
"For  fear  the  roof  shall  fall  in; 
"Poor  creatures — ^how  they  envies  us, 
"And  wishes,  I've  a  notion, 
"For  our  good  luck,  in  such  a  storm, 
"To  be  upon  the  ocean." 


14 

This  change  of  climate  and  the  salt  sea  air  have  a 
tendency  to  develop  drowsiness,  and  no  difficulty  is 
experienced  in  ^ ^dreaming,  sweetly  dreaming  the 
happy  hours  away.''  The  weather  has  moderated 
greatly  since  we  left  New  York  and  the  day  has  been 
given  alternately  to  showers  and  sunshine.  A  heavy 
hailstorm  occurred  about  1  p.  m.  but  lasted  only 
a  few  moments.  The  white-caps  are  chasing  each 
other  like  a  band  of  wild  horses,  overtaking  and 
trampling  each  other  with  an  exciting  fierceness  that 
is  both  beautiful  and  awe-inspiring. 

February  6. — Awoke  this  morning  with  the  sun 
shining  brilliantly,  and  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  the 
crest  of  the  billows  was  polished  silver,  dazzling  the 
eyes  beyond  endurance.  After  breakfast  we  occupied 
our  steamer  chairs  on  deck  and  were  greeted  with 
mixed  showers  and  sunshine  with  a  strong  N.  W. 
wind. 

Made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Woodruff,  of  Knox- 
ville,  Tenn.,  who  is  a  member  of  our  party;  a  loyal 
Kentuckian  by  birth,  who  served  four  years  in  the 
Union  army.  He  is  seventy- three  years  old — is 
making  this  trip  for  the  second  time,  and  is  a  most 
intelligent,  kind-hearted  and  companionable  man. 
I  anticipate  much  pleasure  in  his  society  and  frank 
companionship  during  the  trip. 

There  is  a  beautiful  ladies'  cabin  or  sitting-room  on 
the  ship,  where,  after  dinner,  the  ladies  in  full  dress, 
with  their  male  escorts,  resort  for  a  game  of  bridge 
whist.  In  the  rear  of  this  is  a  gentleman's  smoking 
and  card-room  with  the  bar  adjoining.  As  yet  I  have 
seen  no  gambling,  which  is  more  or  less  of  a  surprise 
to  me,  as  it  is  a  contradiction  of  all  the  stories  I  have 


15 

heard  of  these  ocean  steamers.  Notwithstanding  a 
large  surplus  of  sleep  and  an  appetite  measuring  up 
to  four  full  meals  a  day,  I  am  steadily  losing  flesh. 
We  are  now  about  twelve  hundred  miles  from  New 
York  and  are  making  an  average  of  sixteen  knots  an 
hour. 

February  7. — To-day  has  been  a  duplicate  of  yes- 
terday so  far  as  the  weather  is  concerned.  A  life  on 
the  ocean  wave  is  becoming  very  monotonous. 
Gazing  on  the  brilliant  and  ever-changing  billows  is  a 
breeder  of  headache.  We  are  making  from  375  to 
400  miles  each  twenty-four  hours  and  expect  to  reach 
Madeira  Saturday  evening.  The  saloon  after  dinner  is 
filled  with  handsome  and  handsomely  dressed  women 
playing  bridge,  many  of  them  for  money.  In  the 
smoking-room  an  auctioneer  was  selHng  pools  on  the 
number  of  miles  the  vessel  will  make  in  the  next 
twenty-four  hours. 

It  is  beginning  to  be  a  question  in  my  mind  whether 
people  over  sixty  years  of  age  are  not  more  comfort- 
able and  happy  in  their  own  homes  and  among  their 
old  friends  than  trekking  it  around  the  world,  living 
for  months  within  the  lids  of  a  steamer  trunk  and  a 
suit  case.  But  perhaps  when  we  are  brought  in  con- 
tact with  new  scenes  and  strange  peoples  we  shall 
feel  compensated  for  any  slight  discomforts  and 
inconveniences  that  may  have  attended  our  getting 
there. 

February  8. — A  dreary  sunless  day  with  almost 
continuous  showers ;  a  head  wind  but  not  a  heavy  sea. 
About  midday  we  passed  the  longitude  of  the  Azore 
Islands,  being  some  two  hundred  miles  to  the  south 


16 

of  them..  After  a  two  hours  nap  in  the  afternoon  I 
awoke  with  a  clear  brain  and  a  vanished  headache 
for  the  first  time  since  leaving  New  York.  We  are 
told  we  shall  reach  Madeira  Saturday  evening,  but 
that  if  the  weather  is  stormy  we  shall  not  land.  At 
11  p.  m.  the  saloon  is  still  full  of  demented  women 
playing  bridge  whist.  Very  little  card  playing 
among  the  men.  At  midnight  I  strolled  out  upon 
deck,  where  I  found  a  few  couples  facing  the  ship's 
promenade,  blissfully  indifferent  to  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  but  keenly  alive  to  the  sentimental  joyousness 
of  the  locality  and  the  opportunity.  The  sky  had 
cleared  and  the  wind  had  lulled  to  a  gentle  zephyr. 

"The  fleeting  hours  like  birds  flew  by, 

"As  Ughtly  and  as  free. 

"Ten  thousand  stars  were  in  the  sky, 

"Ten  thousand  on  the  sea. 

"For  every  wave  with  dimpled  face, 

"That  leaped  upon  the  air, 

"Had  caught  a  star  in  its  embrace, 

"And  held  it  trembling  there. 

February  9. — Sun  shining  brightly  and  a  warm 
spring-like  atmosphere.  Everybody  on  deck  looking 
happy  and  cheerful.  This  is  the  first  day  the  steerage 
passengers  have  had  opportunity  to  come  out  on  deck 
because  of  the  previous  cold  and  rainy  weather,  and 
they  are  making  the  most  of  their  opportunity.  They 
are  mostly  Italians  returning  to  their  native  land, 
chiefly  laborers,  with  a  few  disconsolate  looking  women 
and  now  and  then  a  brood  of  dirty  children.  The 
atmosphere  surrounding  them  is  laden  with  obnoxi- 
ous odors,  but  their  happiness  does  not  seem  to  be  in 
any  degree  minimized  thereby. 

I  have  been  thinking  all  day  with  what  greater  zest 
and  more  eager  expectation  I  should  have  experienced 


17 

the  opportunity  for  this  trip  twenty-five  years  ago, 
before  the  edge  of  curiosity  had  been  dulled,  and  the 
fountains  of  anticipation  dried  up .  But  as  the  old  man 
said  about  the  circus :  "When  I  was  a  boy  and  yearned 
to  go  to  the  circus,  I  didn't  have  the  fifty  cents;  now  I 
have  the  fifty  cents  but  I  haven't  the  yearn."  Passed 
the  steamer  Coronia  of  the  Cunard  line  at  2.30  p.  m. 
on  her  way  to  New  York,  about  five  miles  distant. 
During  the  afternoon  the  Italian  steerage  passengers 
danced  on  the  lower  deck  to  the  music  of  an  accordion 
and  with  the  stimulus  of  sundry  small  coins  from  the 
first  cabin  passengers. 

February  10. — Last  night  a  charity  concert  was 
given,  followed  by  a  ball.  Every  one  was  decked  out 
in  his  or  her  best  togs,  and  seldom  have  I  seen  finer 
costumes  at  on-shore  functions.  Went  to  bed  at  mid- 
night and  awakened  about  2  a.  m.  with  an  acute 
attack  of  lumbago,  necessitating  a  call  for  the  ship's 
doctor.  About  10  a.  m.  came  in  sight  of  the  Madeira 
Islands.  Was  unable  to  go  on  deck,  but  propped  my- 
self up  and  looked  through  the  port  hole.  As  we 
came  nearer  the  bold  shore  and  more  lofty  hill-sides, 
numerous  trickling  streams  and  silvery  cascades  dot- 
ted the  landscape,  winding  in  and  out  among  the  beau- 
tiful green  trees  and  grass  covered  slopes.  About 
4  p.  m.  we  steamed  into  the  harbor  of  Funchal,  pre- 
pared to  anchor,  and  were  met  with  a  fleet  of  small 
boats,  each  containing  a  man  or  two  at  the  oars  and  a 
half -naked  native  who  with  tense  and  eager  counten- 
ance, violent  gestures  and  vociferous  cries  demanded 
the  throwing  of  silver  coins  into  the  water  that  he 
might  forthwith  dive  from  the  boat  and  catch  the 
same  ere  they  could  sink  to  the  bottom.  The  skill 
1677—2 


18 

and  dexterity  manifested  in  this  is  quite  remarkable. 
Funchal  appears  to  be  an  aggregation  of  one  and  two- 
story  houses  scattered  along  the  crescent-like  beach 
and  extending  quite  far  up  the  steep  hillsides  and 
mostly  of  a  white  or  yellowish  color.  This  is  a  Por- 
tuguese colony.  Late  in  the  afternoon  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  passengers  went  ashore  and  many  of 
them  stayed  all  night.  A  half  dozen  or  more  steam 
vessels  were  in  the  harbor  when  we  arrived,  but  no 
sign  of  an  American  flag  at  any  of  their  mastheads. 
When  will  our  so-called  statesmen  become  broad- 
minded  and  patriotic  enough  to  encourage  the  up- 
building of  an  American  merchant  marine? 

February  11. — The  day  opened  bright,  balmy  and 
with  radiant  sunshine.  The  wind  died  down  to  a 
soft,  soothing  breeze  and  the  bay  became  as  smooth 
and  placid  as  a  millpond.  At  9  a.  m.  all  of  our  party, 
except  myself,  went  ashore,  while  I  was  compelled  to 
divide  my  attention  between  the  excruciating  pains 
of  lumbago  and  anathemas  upon  my  ill-luck  in  being 
deprived  of  this  first  chance  for  landing  on  a  foreign 
shore.  However,  about  4  p.  m.,  I  awoke  from  a  pro- 
longed sleep  feeling  much  better.  I  dressed,  went  on 
deck  and  got  shaved  just  as  Mrs.  R.  returned  from 
shore.  We  immediately  jumped  into  the  launch  and 
returned  to  the  island.  At  the  wharf  we  hired  a  bull- 
sled  and  rode  to  the  depot.  These  bull-sleds  are 
curious  affairs;  a  little  boy  goes  ahead  of  the  animals 
on  the  trot  and  they  follow  him  implicitly,  urged  on 
by  a  man  with  a  stout  pole  and  the  sled  glides  over 
the  street  paved  with  small,  smooth,  rounded  stones,  as 
glibly  almost  as  if  it  were  a  bed  of  snow.  Arrived  at 
the  depot  we  took  the  cog  railway  for  the  top  of  the 


19 

mountain.  The  rise  in  two  or  three  miles  is  probably 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  and  the  ground  is  a 
continuous  succession  of  terraces.  Interesting  culti- 
vation is  shown  on  every  hand.  The  farms  or 
gardens,  or  whatever  they  may  be  called,  range  in  size 
from  that  of  a  good  liberal  dining-room  to  several 
acres  in  extent  and  are  almost  invariably  divided  by  a 
narrow  pathway,  paved  and  bordered  on  each  side  by 
a  stone  wall.  So  rank  is  the  vegetation  that  it  over- 
tops and  overhangs  these  walls,  almost  entirely  hiding 
the  pathway,  except  at  its  point  of  entrance  from  the 
main  road.  Within  these  gardens  the  main  product 
is  sugar-cane,  so  thick  in  its  growth  that  by  compari- 
son the  buck-brush  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains 
might  be  called  scattering.  In  some  places,  where 
the  cane  is  not  permitted  to  monoplize  every  inch  of 
space,  there  are  a  few  grape  vines  trained  upon  trel- 
lises; when  the  crop  of  grapes  is  mature  and  gathered, 
the  leaves  are  all  clipped  off  and  cabbages  and  other 
vegetables  are  grown  in  the  soil  underneath  the  arbor. 
The  houses  are  very  quaint  and  curious  in  their  con- 
struction, with  tiled  roofs,  barred  and  grated  windows 
and  tightly  closed  doors,  giving  more  the  appearance 
of  jails  than  residences.  Coming  back  from  the 
mountain  we  again  took  a  bull-sled  and  went  to  the 
Casino,  which  is  beautifully  located  on  a  bluff  over- 
looking the  ocean  and  surrounded  by  grounds  filled 
with  beautiful  trees,  shrubbery  and  flowering  plants, 
the  trunks,  limbs  and  branches  of  which  were  literally 
filled  with  bulbs  for  illumination.  Our  visit  was  at 
7.30  p.  m.,  but  as  the  dance  and  illumination  did  not 
take  place  until  9  o'clock  we  were  not  fortunate  in 
seeing  the  full  glory  of  the  place.  There  are  more 
children  and  more  beggars  to  the  square  foot  here 


20 

than  I  ever  dreamed  of.  On  every  hand,  not  only  in 
the  stores,  but  on  the  streets,  native  merchants 
importune  one  to  buy  their  embroideries  of  hnen  and 
cotton.  Every  one  of  whom  you  ask  any  information 
expects  and  almost  demands  compensation.  The 
streets  are  crooked  and  narrow;  sidewalks,  where  any 
exist,  are  about  four  feet  wide  and  the  streets  vary 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet.  Here  and  there  on  the  hill 
is  a  beautiful  villa,  generally  two  stories  with  perhaps 
ten  to  twenty  rooms,  surrounded  by  spacious 
grounds,  filled  with  trees,  shrubs  and  vines  and  from 
which  emerged  properous  looking,  well  dressed  people, 
evidently  the  aristocracy  of  the  community.  A  fine 
German  hospital  for  tuberculosis  patients  stands  on 
a  prominent  site  on  the  hillside  overlooking  the  entire 
harbor,  and  a  new  hotel  is  being  built  high  up  on  the 
mountain  side,  to  which  the  cog  railway  will  soon  be 
finished.  While  the  islands  belong  to  the  Portuguese, 
the  chief  business  interests  are  controlled  by  English 
residents,  including  the  shipping,  the  banking  and 
the  wine  trade,  and  by  reason  of  this  commercial  dom- 
ination there  is  no  good  feeling  between  the  English 
and  Portuguese  inhabitants .  The  gardens  and  garden 
walls  are  bright  with  luxuriant  and  many  colored 
flowers.  Geraniums  are  indigenous,  and  when  grow- 
ing along  side  walls  or  other  support  assume  the  char- 
acter of  climbing  plants  and  grow  to  the  height  often 
of  twelve  feet,  with  flowers  much  larger  than  with  us. 

February  12, — At  1  a.  m.  the  ship  weighed  anchor 
and  steamed  for  Gibraltar.  Many  of  the  passengers 
were  so  late  coming  aboard  that  it  was  2  a.  m.  before 
quiet  reigned  about  the  ship.  A  strong  head  wind 
set  in  which  continued  to  increase  in  violence  as  the 


21 

day  grew  older  and  the  motion  of  the  ship  became 
more  pronounced  than  at  any  time  so  far  on  the 
voyage.  Nothing  of  importance  occurred  on  ship 
board  during  the  day.  The  evening  was  spent  by 
most  of  the  passengers  in  the  usual  games  of  bridge 
and  poker. 

February  IS, — Awoke  at  8  a.  m.  with  the  bright 
sunshine  streaming  in  at  the  port-hole.  Went  on 
deck  after  breakfast  to  find  that  the  wind  had  sub- 
sided and  the  air  was  as  balmy  as  April  in  California. 
Everybody  was  on  deck  and  on  the  lookout  for  a  first 
glimpse  of  the  African  coast.  About  noon  land  was 
sighted  on  the  Moroccan  shore  and  as  we  approached 
more  nearly,  the  city  of  Tangier  came  into  view. 
Just  before  reaching  Tangier  we  sighted  on  the  rocks 
the  wreck  of  the  English  steamer  upon  which  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Fife  so  recently  came  near  los- 
ing their  lives.  As  we  entered  the  Mediterranean  the 
change  in  the  color  of  the  water  was  most  pronounced 
and  definitely  defined  from  the  dark  blue  of  the 
Atlantic,  to  a  bright  green.  By  2  o'clock  the  houses 
and  fortifications  of  Gibraltar  became  clearly  defined 
and  at  3  o'clock  we  cast  anchor  just  outside  the  break- 
water. At  4  o'clock  all  went  ashore  and  our  party 
were  driven  across  to  the  old  Spanish  town  of  Linea 
de  la  Concepcion.  The  town  is  composed  mostly  of 
one  story  houses  stuccoed  on  the  outside  and  cov- 
ered with  tile  roofs,  some  of  them  so  old  that  they 
are  overgrown  with  moss  and  other  vegetation.  The 
streets  are  narrow,  dirty,  full  of  stagnant  pools  and 
emitting  odors  in  no  degree  resembling  attar  of  roses. 
A  perfect  multitude  of  children  thronged  the  streets 
and  all  looked  bright,  happy  and  contented.    Beggars 


22 

were  somewhat  in  evidence,  but  in  nowise  so  numerous 
or  persistent  as  those  of  Funchal.  We  visited  the 
bull-pen  where  bull-fights  are  wont  to  be  held,  and 
found  the  arena  patterned  much  after  the  Roman 
Coliseum,  the  structure  being  circular  in  form  and  the 
seats  rising  tier  after  tier,  one  above  the  other.  Com- 
ing back  from  the  Spanish  town  to  Gibraltar  we  dis- 
mounted from  our  vehicles  and  walked  for  nearly 
an  hour  up  and  down  the  main  business  street,  noting 
their  methods  of  doing  business,  the  character  of 
goods  offered  for  sale  and  the  dark  and  inconvenient 
conditions  of  their  store  buildings.  The  houses  in 
Gibraltar  are  generally  two  to  four  stories  in  height 
and  much  more  commodious  than  those  in  the  Spanish 
town.  The  streets  seemed  to  be  perfectly  alive  with 
people,  but  what  industry  could  support  and  feed 
them  all  was  not  apparent  to  the  casual  observer. 
Fruits  were  abundant  and  tempting.  Dates  of 
undreamed  of  sweetness  and  delicacy,  fat  and  luscious 
figs,  oranges  that  challenge  the  most  succulent  flavor 
of  a  California  navel  and  sweet  flowers  of  infinite 
color  and  variety  are  everywhere  offered  for  sale  and 
at  prices  that  make  a  dollar  look  as  big  as  a  cart 
wheel.  Turks  and  Moors  strolled  the  streets  with 
lazy  and  indifferent  air,  looking  picturesque  and 
comfortable  in  their  loose  baggy  trousers,  their  red 
fezzes  and  white  turbans.  English  soldiers  from  the 
garrison  in  spruce,  tight-fitting  red  jackets,  a  little 
pill-box  of  a  cap  over  one  ear  and  an  air  of  dominant 
importance,  pushed  their  way  through  the  narrow  and 
crowded  thoroughfare  regardless  of  the  convenience 
or  comfort  of  the  downtrodden  Orientals.  We 
returned  to  the  ship  for  dinner  at  7  p.  m. 


23 

February  14- — Arose  at  7  a.  m.,  sun  shining  brightly 
and  temperature  mild.  Went  ashore  at  8.30  a.  m. 
Took  carriage  for  trip  up  the  mountain.  We  wound 
around  between  houses  built  upon  the  solid  rock, 
going  higher  and  higher  until  we  reached  a  point  where 
we  were  required  to  alight,  and  after  procuring  a  sol- 
dier escort,  proceeded  to  climb  along  a  road  or  cause- 
way cut  deeply  out  of  the  solid  rock,  until  finally  we 
entered  a  tunnel,  still  ascending,  and  every  few  rods 
came  to  a  large  old-fashioned  cannon,  with  a  port-hole 
opening  through  the  rock  and  facing  upon  the  open 
ocean.  The  highest  point  we  reached  was  some 
twelve  hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  and  looking  down 
upon  the  houses  of  the  Spanish  town  below  us,  they 
resembled  the  little  house-blocks  made  for  children's 
playthings.  The  view  across  the  harbor  is  one  of 
almost  unparalleled  beauty — the  water  thickly  dotted 
with  vessels  of  all  kinds,  from  a  British  man-of-war  to 
the  smallest  fishing  smack,  and  off  across  to  the  south, 
the  African  coast  holding  its  bold  outline  against  a 
cloudless  sky.  Returning  to  our  carriages  we  con- 
tinued the  drive  down  and  around  the  rocky  moun- 
tain side,  passing  the  Alameda  gardens  and  reach- 
ing by  a  round-about  way  again  the  town  of  Gibraltar 
and  back  to  the  ship  again  at  12.30  p.  m.  At  1  p.  m. 
the  ship  sailed  for  Algiers,  and  about  sunset,  on  our  left, 
the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  of  Spain  loomed  up 
with  their  snow-capped  summits. 

February  15. — Breakfast  found  us  plowing  the 
Mediterranean  at  a  sixteen  knot  pace,  bound  for 
Algiers  with  no  land  in  sight  on  either  side.  About 
noon  the  peaks  of  the  Atlas  mountains  appeared  in 
outline  against  the  southern  horizon,  and  gradually 


24 

the  whole  coast  line,  with  its  rugged  and  undulating 
surface,  greeted  our  eyes.  An  hour  later  the  white 
and  shining  houses  of  the  French  city  of  Algiers, 
aligned  against  the  dark-green  background  of  the 
lofty  hill-side,  presented  a  beautiful  picture  to  the 
vision.  At  2.30  p.  m.  we  anchored  outside  the  break- 
water, being  unable  to  find  room  inside  because  of  the 
presence  of  other  vessels,  among  them  the  Cincinnati 
of  the  Hamburg  American  line. 

A  steerage  passenger  died  last  night  of  tuberculosis, 
being  the  second  death  since  we  started.  Went 
ashore  at  4.30  p.  m.  A  surprisingly  busy  scene  pre- 
sented itself.  The  great  massive  stone  wharves 
were  crowded  with  merchandise  of  various  kinds, 
chief  among  which  were  thousands  of  casks  of  wine. 
Dozens  of  carts,  driven  by  dirty,  ragged,  bare-legged 
and  shoeless  Arabs,  with  four  horses  each, — one  in 
front  and  three  abreast  in  the  rear, —  were  continu- 
ally passing  to  and  fro  hauling  freight.  Winding 
back  and  forth  along  the  causeway  leading  up  to  the 
level  of  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  we  reached 
the  main  business  thoroughfare,  running  parallel 
with  the  shore  line  and  extending  for  possibly  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  length.  Everything  was  bustle  and 
activity,  and  the  streets  were  thronged  with  a  cos- 
mopolitan crowd  of  French,  Spaniards,  Italians, 
Turks,  Moors,  Arabs  and  Negroes,  all  but  the  first 
clothed  in  habiliments  characterized  in  greater  or  less 
degree  by  dirt,  rags  and  filth.  The  French,  as  a  rule, 
are  neatly  and  many  of  them  elegantly  dressed  and 
show  all  the  marks  of  culture  and  prosperity.  Arab 
women  peddling  embroideries  and  boys  vending 
postal  cards  assault  you  at  every  step  with  their 
importunities  and  follow  you  for  blocks.     After  an 


25 

hour  spent  looking  through  the  stores,  took  the  street 
cars  and  rode  to  the  end  of  the  route  in  each  direction. 
The  number  of  new  and  beautiful  business  buildings 
and  apartment  houses  ranging  from  four  to  seven 
stories  in  height,  is  very  surprising,  and  an  air  of  busi- 
ness activity  and  rapid  growth  is  everywhere  mani- 
fest.   Returned  to  the  ship  at  7  p.  m. 

February  16. — Arose  for  a  7.30  breakfast.  At  8.30 
our  party  went  ashore  for  a  drive.  We  drove  up  the 
main  business  street  to  the  end  of  the  street  car  line, 
then  began  ascending  the  hill  to  the  Kasba  quarters, 
being  the  site  and  ruins  of  the  old  Moorish  castle. 
Continuing  our  ascent  we  skirt  the  Jardin  Marengo,  a 
public  park  laid  out  on  the  site  of  the  old  Moham- 
medan cemetery.  Here  on  every  side  are  trees, 
shrubs  and  flowers,  most  of  which  are  familiar  to  a 
Californian.  Almond  trees  in  bloom,  olives,  palms, 
magnolias,  sycamores,  live  oaks,  bignonias  and  a 
luxuriant  wealth  of  bougainvilleas  climb  in  purple 
masses  over  the  sides  and  roofs  of  the  buildings. 
As  we  continue  to  ascend  in  a  winding  course  we 
reach  Bella  Vista,  where  one  of  the  most  marvelously 
beautiful  views  of  the  city  and  the  bay  breaks  upon 
the  sight.  At  our  feet  lay  the  white  city,  its  stuc- 
coed buildings  shining  with  a  dazzling  brilliancy  in 
the  warm  sunshine,  and  beyond,  the  wharves,  the 
breakwater,  the  innumerable  vessels,  tugs  and  small 
boats  scurrying  back  and  forth,  and  still  beyord,  the 
sky  blue  waters  of  the  crescent  shaped  bay  and  the 
limitless  expanse  of  the  Mediterranean.  No  more 
charming  or  beautiful  vision,  it  seems,  could  be  spread 
before  the  gaze  of  mortal  man.  Continuing  our 
drive  we  descend  by  a  gradual  and  winding  way  to 


26 

the  city,  passing  a  former  mosque,  now  the  cathedral 
of  Notre  Dame,  the  Palace  of  the  Governor,  the 
National  Library  and  other  pubhc  buildings,  coming 
at  last  to  the  old  Arab  section  of  the  city  with  its 
narrow  and  crooked  streets,  its  fecundity  of  ragged, 
dirty  and  offensive  looking  human  beings  with  whom 
bathing  seems  to  have  been  a  lost  art,  and  finally,  wind- 
ing up  at  noon  at  the  Place  de  la  RepubUque,  a  small 
park  near  the  wharf.     Here  the  party  dismounted 
from  the  carriages,  the  ladies  went  shopping,  while 
Mr.  Woodruff — whose  companionship  I  had  grown 
to  highly  appreciate — and  myself  refreshed  ourselves 
at  a  near-by  cafe  before  returning  aboard  the  ship. 
Roughly  speaking,  Algiers  may  be  divided  into  three 
parts;  the  French  town,  containing  all  the  best  shops, 
which  lies  along  the  shore  by  the  harbor;  the  Arab 
quarter,  lying  on  the  slopes  of  the  hill  above  the 
French  town,  and  ''Mustapha  Superieur,''  the  fash- 
ionable  quarter,   lying   on   a   thickly  wooded   and 
extremely  beautiful  slope  to  the  southeast    of   the 
town  and  containing  the  villas  of  the  principal  resi- 
dents and  many  fine  hotels,  patronized  mainly  by 
Enghsh  and  American  travelers.     The  Arab  quarters 
present  some  very  quaint  streets  and  alleys,  which, 
however,  are  dangerous  at  night  to  the  foreigner,  and 
even  by  day  wisdom  dictates  the  leaving  of  all  valu- 
ables aboard  ship.     It  is  little  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago  that  Algiers,  Tunis  and  Tripoh  constituted 
at  once  a  menace  and  a  disgrace  to  European  and 
American   civilization.     Their  pirates  and  corsairs 
infested  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  levied   tribute 
upon  the  commerce  and  upon  the  citizens  of  the  civi- 
lized world.     The  United  States,  in  common  with 
other  civihzed  powers,  had  submitted  to  and  paid 


27 

this  tribute  until  it  became  too  burdensome  and 
resulted  in  a  declaration  of  war,  which,  through  the 
activities  of  the  American  fleet  under  Commodores 
Preble,  Bainbridge  and  Decatur,  soon  brought  these 
barbarians  to  terms.  But  it  is  to  the  French  and  the 
French  only  that  the  world  owes  the  modern  regen- 
eration of  Algiers;  the  cleansing  of  one  of  the  fil- 
thiest Augean  stables  in  the  modern  world.  For  more 
than  eighty  years  the  French  have  persistently  pur- 
sued the  conquest,  the  reformation,^ and  the  develop- 
ment of  Algiers,  in  spite  of  depleted  armies,  in  spite 
of  financial  losses,  in  spite  of  jealous  criticisms  from 
other  nationalities,  until  they  have^caused  an  evolu- 
tion in  the  city  of  Algiers  from  a  collection  of  mud 
huts,  miserable  mendicants  and  miasmatic  marshes, 
to  one  of  the  busiest  commercial  marts,  with  sub- 
stantial modern  business  buildings,  unexcelled  at  any 
port  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

Having  finished  coaling  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor 
at  6  p.  m.,  the  white  star  steamship  Canopic  and  the 
Marseilles  m,ail  steamer  Mustapha  having  arrived 
almost  simultaneously  about  an  hour  and  a  half 
before.  It  is  understood  that  instead  of  landing  at 
Villefranche,  we  go  direct  to  Monaco  on  account  of 
labor  troubles  at  the  former  place. 

February  17. — Weather  still  beautiful.  We  are  on 
our  way  to  Monaco  but  are  only  running  at  about  one- 
half  speed,  in  order,  as  some  say,  to  save  coal,  and 
according  to  others  that,  as  we  are  ahead  of  schedule 
time,  we  may  not  reach  Monaco  until  Sunday  morn- 
ing, it  being  difficult  to  land  at  night  in  case  of  heavy- 
weather.  But  whatever  the  cause,  we  have  dawdled 
along  all  day,  with  a  sea  smooth  as  a  waxed  floor  and 


28 

as  blue  as  the  water  in  a  Monday  wash  tub.  We 
shall  lose  a  number  of  passengers  who  are  eager  to 
meet  and  greet  the  temptations  of  Monte  Carlo  and  are 
expected  to  receive  some  shorn  lambs  at  that  point  if 
they  have  wool  enough  left  to  comfortably  clothe 
them  for  the  trip.  Nothing  of  moment  occurred 
aboard  ship  except  the  usual  Saturday  evening  dance 
and  card-playing,  and  a  good  night's  sleep  followed 
preparatory  to  the  landing  to-morrow  morning. 

February  18. — Cast  anchor  off  Monaco  at  6.30 
a.  m., breakfasted  at  7 o'clock  and  went  ashore  at  8.30. 
The  approach  to  Monaco  is  characterized  by  the 
same  bold,  rocky  bluffs  that  greet  us  at  most  places 
we  have  so  far  visited.  Beginning  at  the  water  line  the 
ground  begins  to  rise  with  more  and  more  abruptness — 
first  a  line  of  buildings  paralleling  the  shore  line — then 
a  narrow  street, — then  a  terrace  with  another  line  of 
buildings,  and  so  on  indefinitely  to  the  crest  of  the 
hill.  The  buildings  in  Monaco  and  Monte  Carlo  are 
all  of  stone,  the  walls  that  sustain  the  terraces  are  of 
stone  and  the  hill  or  mountain  upon  which  they  are 
built  is  of  soHd  stone.  The  streets  and  roads  are 
macadamized  and  are  kept  in  exceedingly  clean  and 
perfect  condition.  Upon  reaching  shore  our  party 
walked  up  the  long  incline  to  the  Casino,  where  we 
took  automobiles  for  a  drive  to  Nice.  The  route 
passed  along  the  shore  line,  giving  us  an  excellent  view 
of  the  harbor  and  the  sea.  On  reaching  Villefranche 
we  were  greeted  with  a  small  but  beautiful  land- 
locked harbor,  where  three  French  battleships  and 
half  a  dozen  torpedo  boats  were  anchored,  as  was  also 
the  beautiful  steam  yacht  of  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
the  latter  flying  the  only  American  flag  we  have  seen 
in  any  of  the  ports. 


29 

Arrived  at  Nice  we  left  the  automobiles  and  strolled 
through  one  of  the  public  parks  for  an  hour  or  two, 
where  preparations  were  being  made  for  a  grand  floral 
festival  on  the  day  following.  A  goodly  portion  of 
Nice  is  built  upon  fairly  level  ground,  but,  as  you 
get  a  few  blocks  back  from  the  seashore,  the  same  bold 
ridge  of  hills  meets  you  face  to  face  and  the  lines  of 
terraces  and  stone  walls  climb  the  eternal  hills. 
Returning  from  Nice  by  the  same  route,  we  entered 
the  famous  Casino  of  Monte  Carlo.  Seated  at  the 
various  tables  and  standing  in  lines  two  or  three  deep 
behind  them  were  men  and  women  in  almost  equal 
numbers,  eagerly  risking  their  money  on  the  turn  of 
the  roulette  wheel.  Women  young,  beautiful  and 
handsomely  dressed,  women  old,  wrinkled  and  with 
trembling  hands,  were  alike  in  the  zeal  with  which 
they  deposited  their  silver  or  gold  coins  upon  a  fa- 
vorite number,  and  with  more  or  less  resignation  saw 
them  ruthlessly  raked  into  the  coffers  of  the  bank. 
Now  and  then  one  was  encouraged  by  a  five  or  ten  to 
one  favorable  play,  only  to  linger  until  the  fatal  per- 
centage of  the  game  dribbled  it  all  away.  I  saw 
however  but  little  tenseness  or  anxiety  displayed 
among  the  players.  Most  of  them  sat  with  placid, 
indifferent  expression  and  took  their  changes  of  luck 
with  unchanged  features,  evidently  being  habitues  of 
the  game.  No  bet  seemed  to  be  permitted  less  than 
five  francs,  and  at  one  or  two  of  the  tables  a  game  was 
in  progress  where  nothing  but  gold  appeared  in  the 
betting.  A  private  room  where  higher  playing  was 
in  vogue  could  only  be  entered  upon  the  payment  of 
a  fee  of  five  dollars,  which  exceeded  the  limit  of  my 
curiosity.  One  of  the  handsomest  as  well  as  most 
charming  and  venturesome  ladies  of  our  party,  with  the 


30 

spirit  of  daring  that  characterizes  the  clear  and  breezy 
atmosphere  of  our  western  hfe,  boldly  laid  down  her 
five  franc  piece  upon  the  board  and  a  moment  later 
was  surprised  and  delighted  to  have  the  croupier  toss 
her  in  return  sixteen  bright  and  shining  five  franc 
pieces.  With  unexampled  wisdom  and  discretion 
she  retired  beyond  the  pale  of  further  temptation, 
remarking  she  had  long  wanted  a  nice  panama  hat 
and  now  she  could  afford  one.  No  other  trade  or 
industry  seems  to  be  in  vogue  except  gambling  and 
hotel-keeping. 

Monaco  is  a  very  old  town.  Its  origin  is  traced 
with  more  or  less  authenticity  by  historians  far  back 
in  the  centuries  to  1700  B.  C,  although  it  was  little 
spoken  of  until  some  twelve  hundred  years  later. 

In  the  days  when  Hannibal  and  his  Carthaginian 
legions  were  seeking  the  destruction  of  Rome  the 
people  of  Monaco  and  immediate  surroundings 
were  also  engaged  in  deadly  hostility  to  the  Romans. 
Following  down  the  centuries  Monaco  sided  with 
Caesar  in  his  contest  with  Pompey  and  the  former, 
after  his  victory,  embarked  from  Monaco  to  Rome. 
It  has  been  successively  under  Roman,  Spanish  and 
French  rule  and  is  now  an  independent  principality. 
It  contains  about  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand 
inhabitants  and  holds  little  of  interest  to  the  stranger 
except  the  Palace  and  the  Casino.  The  former  is 
said  to  contain  many  fine  pictures  and  frescoes, 
though  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  admission,  especially 
when  the  Prince  is  at  home.  The  Casino  is  a  hand- 
some, though  not  highly  ornamental  building,  con- 
taining a  reading  room  with  periodicals  from  almost 
every  country,  a  fine  ball  room  and  an  excellent  band 
which  discourses  sweet  music  every  afternoon  and 


31 

evening.  Extreme  poverty  does  not  seem  to  be 
prevalent  among  the  people,  and  yet  one  is  beseeched 
on  every  hand  for  charity,  apparently  more  from  habit 
than  anything  else.  The  road  from  Monaco  to  Men- 
tone  is  unsurpassed  for  scenic  beauty.  Hewn  out 
of  the  face  of  the  mountain  it  winds  in  a  yellow  ser- 
pentine way  among  a  forest  of  fig,  fir,  locust,  carob 
and  olive  trees,  many  of  the  latter  being  of  immense 
size  and  bearing  the  scars  of  a  thousand  years  bat- 
tling with  the  elements.  At  2.30  p.  m.  we  returned  to 
the  ship  and  sailed  for  Naples  at  6  p.  m. 

February  19. — Awoke  in  the  morning  still  on  the 
watery  way  to  Naples.  Passed  the  Islands  of  Cor- 
sica and  Elba  during  the  night.  About  3  p.  m. 
came  in  sight  of  the  island  of  Ischia  on  the  left  and 
shortly  after  on  the  right  the  island  of  Capri,  with 
Mount  Vesuvius  looming  up  in  front  of  us  and  the 
city  of  Naples  stretching  for  several  miles  along  the 
shore.  Entered  the  Bay  of  Naples  and  anchored 
inside  the  breakwater,  half  a  mile  from  shore,  about 
5  p.  m.  Many  cabin  passengers  left  us  here  and  about 
two  hundred  steerage  passengers.  Three  large  barge 
loads  of  baggage  were  fished  from  the  bowels  of  the 
ship  and  went  ashore  also,  where  the  owners  were 
obliged  to  stand  or  sit  for  hours  awaiting  the  slow 
and  irritating  actions  of  the  customs  officers.  At 
5.30  we  went  ashore  for  an  hour  or  two,  to  look  around 
the  city.  Walked  up  town  several  blocks,  coming 
at  last  to  a  public  square  or  plaza  containing  a  monu- 
ment surmounted  by  a  heroic  sized  statue  of  Gari- 
baldi. The  streets  seemed  to  be  crowded  with  sol- 
diers, policemen  and  officials  of  various  character. 
Three  transports  were  at  the  dock  bearing  wounded 


32 

and  sick  soldiers  from  the  campaign  in  Tripoli  and  pre- 
pared to  re-load  with  fresh  reinforcements  for  the  war 
against  Turkey.  The  beauties  of  the  Bay  of  Naples 
have  been  exploited  in  song  and  story  the  world  over 
for  generations,  and  it  is  probably  the  rankest  and 
most  presumptuous  heresy  to  discount  in  any  degree 
these  superlative  descriptions,  and  yet  to  my  mind 
the  Bay  of  Algiers  far  surpasses  it  in  scenic  beauty. 
But  possibly  when  we  return  to  Naples  and  have 
opportunity  to  view  the  bay  from  the  heights  above 
the  city  the  impression  of  the  present  may  be  modi- 
fied. On  our  arrival  the  view  of  Mount  Vesuvius 
was  clear  and  free  from  clouds.  It  was  having  a 
restful  day,  however,  and  only  now  and  then  did  a 
slight  rim  of  white  smoke  or  steam  show  itself  above 
the  crater.  The  white  line  of  the  inclined  railway 
was  plainly  visible  as  it  climbed  the  steep  side  of  the 
mountain.  All  night  long  the  process  of  unloading 
cargo  and  coaling  ship  proceeded  amidst  the  noise  of 
machinery  and  the  voluble  and  excited  exclamations 
of  the  Italian  coal-heavers  as  they  dumped  basket 
after  basket  of  coal  into  the  depths  of  the  bunkers. 

February  20. — Arose  at  8  a.  m.  and  found  we  were 
still  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Naples.  However,  at 
9.45  the  unloading  and  coaling  having  been  finished, 
we  weighed  anchor  and  bore  out  of  the  harbor, 
bound  for  Alexandria,  where,  alas,  we  leave  this  beau- 
tiful and  most  comfortable  ship  for  we  know  not 
what.  At  6  p.  m.  we  passed  the  island  and  volcano 
of  Stromboli  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea  to  a  con- 
siderable height.  A  village  of  some  proportions  lies 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The  summit  of  the  peak 
was  hidden  from  view  by  a  very  heavy  black  cloud 


33 

which  seemed  to  envelop  the  whole  mountain  half- 
way to  the  foot.  According  to  the  guide-book  Strom- 
boH  is  3,022  feet  high. 

At  8  p.  m.  we  entered  the  Strait  of  Messina,  passing 
Scylla  and  Charybdis  of  ancient  fame  and  fear, 
and  soon  coming  in  sight  of  the  long  line  of  lights 
from  the  city  of  Messina  on  the  starboard  side  and 
of  Reggio  on  the  port.  Both  these  cities  were  par- 
tially destroyed  by  the  earthquake  of  1908,  the  former 
losing  two-thirds  and  the  latter  three-fourths  of  its 
population. 

February  21. — Today  has  been  a  monotonous  all 
day  sail  with  no  land  in  sight  on  either  side  and  the 
weather  clear  and  warm  in  the  sunshine,  but  with  a 
cool  stiff  breeze  blowing.  This  afternoon  our  party 
assembled  in  the  Lounge  to  receive  preliminary 
instructions  regarding  the  trip  up  the  Nile .  Instead  of 
having  a  couple  of  days  in  Cairo,  as  we  had  expected, 
we  find  that  the  river  steamer  will  leave  the  same 
day  of  our  arrival  and  that  we  shall  have  to  leave 
Alexandria  immediately  after  arrival  there  in  order 
to  connect  with  the  boat  at  Cairo.  Everybody 
seems  to  be  getting  tired  of  the  long  trip  on  ship- 
board, but  I  apprehend  it  will  be  some  time  before  we 
are  again  so  comfortably  situated. 

February  22. — To-day  is  but  a  repetition  of  yester- 
day, steadily  steaming  S.  S.  E.,  with  a  limitless  waste  of 
water  on  either  side.  Many  of  the  passengers  made 
their  appearance  on  deck  after  breakfast,  with  small 
American  flags  attached  to  their  persons,  and  at 
dinner  the  orchestra,  as  a  finale,  played  a  medley  of 
American  airs,  winding  up  with  Dixie  and  The  Star 
1677—3 


34 

Spangled  Banner,  amid  much  enthusiastic  applause. 
The  sun  went  down  like  a  great  ball  of  fire,  followed 
by  an  afterglow  and  cloud  painting  as  gorgeous  as  the 
tints  of  Moran's  Yellowstone. 

February  23. — This  morning  at  6  o'clock  we  came 
to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Alexandria.  It  is  a  large, 
well  protected  harbor,  inside  a  substantial  break- 
water or  sea  wall  of  masonry.  The  outlook  is  radi- 
cally different  from  that  of  any  port  we  have  pre- 
viously entered.  Instead  of  the  bold,  rocky  and 
mountainous  shores  of  Madeira,  Gibraltar,  Algiers 
and  Morocco,  the  view  is  that  of  a  perfectly  flat,  water- 
level  country,  resembling  very  much  the  delta  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  in  fact  it  has  been  formed  in 
exactly  the  same  manner  from  the  alluvial  deposits 
brought  down  during  the  flood-periods  of  the  great 
river  above  it.  After  breakfast  we  went  ashore  and 
were  hustled  without  ceremony  and  without  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  city — amidst  the  shrieks  and 
demands  of  innumerable  insatiable  Arabs — into  the 
waiting  train  for  Cairo,  where  we  arrived  at  1  p.  m. 
The  ride  through  the  country  between  these  points  is 
a  revelation  to  the  untraveled  American.  On  every 
hand  is  a  hive  of  industry.  At  every  glance  some- 
thing strange  and  unique  greets  the  eye.  Every  acre 
— ^nay  every  square  foot — is  intensively  cultivated  and 
all  under  ancient  but  effective  methods  of  irrigation. 
In  some  places  the  water  is  lifted  from  the  irrigating 
canals  into  the  lateral  ditches  by  a  large  hollow  wheel 
with  holes  at  regular  intervals  for  the  outlet  of  the 
water,  the  motive  power  in  most  instances  being  the 
water  buffalo. 


35 

At  other  places  the  water  is  Hfted  by  means  of  a 
hand-power  well-sweep  in  a  bucket  to  the  first  level, 
and  then  by  a  second  uplifting  operation  of  the  same 
character  is  carried  to  the  level  of  the  lateral  ditch. 
At  every  point  you  see  wide  areas  of  alfalfa,  corn, 
wheat,  beans,  garden  vegetables  and  sugar-cane  in  a 
forward  state  of  growth.  Other  fields  are  being  pre- 
pared for  crops,  the  plowing  being  done  with  an  old- 
fashioned  wooden  plow  pulled  by  a  team  of  water 
buffaloes.  Camels  and  donkeys  are  everywhere  seen, 
the  former  frequently  in  long  column  following  closely 
after  one  another,  carrying  burdens  of  various  kinds 
stowed  away  in  panniers  hung  from  each  side  of  the 
saddle.  Every  driver  of  a  donkey  or  camel  carries 
a  bunch  of  alfalfa  with  him  as  fodder  and  it  is  doled 
out  to  the  animal  with  greatest  care.  On  reaching 
Cairo  we  went  immediately  aboard  the  little  Nile 
steamer  Mayflower,  where  we  were  assigned  our  rooms 
and  sat  down  to  lunch,  after  which  a  small  gasoline 
launch  carried  us  to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river, 
where  we  were  taken  in  carriages  up  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal and  most  beautiful  streets  of  the  city  to  the 
Hamburg- American  steamship  office.  The  beauty 
and  solidity  of  the  buildings  in  Cairo  were  far  beyond 
expectations.  As  our  boat  was  to  leave  promptly 
at  4  p.  m.  we  had  but  about  an  hour  for  looking 
around.  Promptly  at  the  hour  fixed  we  cast  loose 
from  the  bank  and  proceeded  up  the  Nile.  The 
prospect  from  the  start  was  one  of  unprecedented 
novelty  and  beauty.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  low 
and  for  several  miles  on  each  side  the  land  is  level 
and  subject  to  the  fertilizing  overflow  of  its  waters. 
The  country  is  teeming  with  population,  all  appar- 
ently busy  plowing,   sowing   or   harvesting   crops. 


36 

Every  few  minutes  we  passed  a  village  of  mud  houses 
with  roofs  thatched  with  corn  stalks,  covered  with 
manure,  and  surrounding  or  adjacent  to  each  house 
is  a  large  pile  of  dried  camel  chips,  presumably  for  fuel 
or  fertilizing,  and  with  an  odor  that  is  reminiscent 
of  the  Augean  stables.  The  great  pyramids  of  Ghizeh 
are  in  sight  on  our  right  and  the  groves  of  date  palms 
intersperse  the  landscape  here  and  there,  resembling 
feather  dusters  with  the  feathers  somewhat  the  worse 
for  wear.  They  are,  however,  quite  picturesque  and 
lend  much  beauty  and  variety  to  the  generally  entranc- 
ing scene.  Fourteen  miles  above  Cairo  we  reached 
our  first  stopping  place  and  tied  up  to  the  bank  for  the 
night. 

February  ^4- — Arose  at  6  a.  m.,  breakfasted  at  6.30, 
and  at  8  o'clock  our  dragoman  was  ready  with  our 
donkeys  and  Arab  donkey  boys.  All  mounted  and 
set  out  for  our  first  point  of  sight-seeing,  this  being  the 
village  of  Badrashen.  It  is  a  town  of  some  five  or 
six  thousand  inhabitants,  composed  entirely  of  adobe 
huts,  mostly  of  one  story  and  filled  with  Arabs,  dirt, 
goats  and  monuments  of  camel  chips.  Passing 
through  the  town  and  skirting  several  beautiful 
groves  of  date  palms  and  fields  of  bright  green  barley 
and  alfalfa,  we  came  to  the  site  of  the  ancient  city 
of  Memphis,  founded  by  Menes  in  the  first  Egyptian 
dynasty,  4400  B.  C.  Memphis  suffered  many  dis- 
asters in  the  various  wars  and  the  buildings  were 
finally  pulled  down  from  time  to  time  by  the  Moham- 
medans and  others  and  the  stones  used  in  the  building 
of  old  Cairo  and  other  cities.  The  first  object  of 
interest  on  the  site  of  Memphis  is  the  colossal  statue 
of  Rameses  II.     It  formerly  stood  in  front  of  the 


37 

temple  of  Ptah,  but  is  now  prostrate  and  broken. 
It  is  made  of  very  fine  hard  limestone  and  was 
upwards  of  forty  feet  in  height.  Leaving  the  statue 
we  continued  our  ride  on  to  Sakkara,  which  was  the 
sacred  burjdng-ground  of  the  ancient  Egyptians. 
Here  are  four  pyramids,  one  called  the  step  pyramid, 
being  built  of  stones  about  three  or  four  feet  square 
and  being  about  two  hundred  feet  in  height  and  said 
to  be  the  oldest  pyramid  in  the  world.  Another 
object  of  interest  is  the  tomb  of  the  Apis  bulls  where 
all  the  sacred  bulls  were  buried  in  granite  sarcophagi. 
These  long  unknown  tombs  were  rediscovered  and 
excavated  in  1850  by  M.  Mariette.  The  old  historian, 
Herodotus,  describes  the  Apis  as  "the  calf  of  a  cow 
incapable  of  conceiving  another  offspring;  and  the 
Egyptians  say  that  lightning  descends  upon  the  cow 
from  Heaven  and  that  from  thence  it  brings  forth 
Apis.  This  calf,  which  is  called  Apis,  has  the  fol- 
lowing marks :  It  is  black  and  has  a  triangular  spot 
of  white  on  the  forehead,  and  on  the  back  the  figure 
of  an  eagle;  and  in  the  tail  double  hairs  and  on  the 
tongue  a  beetle.'^  The  tomb  of  Thi  is  also  an  object 
of  great  interest.  It  was  originally  all  above  ground 
but  in  the  lapse  of  ages  has  been  covered  by  the  drift- 
ing sands.  Its  galleries  have  been  excavated  and 
cleared  out  so  that  you  can  enter  and  follow  their 
various  windings,  the  walls  of  which  are  decorated 
with  paintings  and  carvings  in  the  stone  showing  Thi 
and  his  household  in  the  performance  of  their  multi- 
farious farm  and  domestic  duties  and  in  his  numerous 
hunting  and  fishing  excursions.  Speaking  again  of 
the  tombs  of  the  Apis  or  sacred  bulls — they  are  hewn 
out  of  the  solid  rock  and  have  a  length  of  nearly 
four  hundred  yards — are  on  each  side  of  a  passage 


38 

way  some  ten  feet  wide  and  eighteen  or  twenty  feet 
high.  These  bulls  were  worshipped  by  the  ancient 
Egyptians  and  at  death  were  embalmed  and  buried 
in  huge  stone  coffins  chiseled  out  of  a  single  piece  of 
granite  or  limestone  thirteen  feet  in  length,  seven  feet 
wide  and  eleven  feet  high,  and  each  weighing  more  than 
sixty-five  tons.  Our  return  trip  was  timed  so  as  to 
reach  the  boat  for  lunch.  The  trip  was  altogether 
unique  and  intensely  interesting.  The  wonderful 
strength  and  endurance  of  the  donkey  boys  is  marvel- 
ous. For  hours  they  follow  behind  the  donkeys  and 
keep  them  on  the  trot,  most  of  the  time  shouting 
and  gesticulating  without  apparent  fatigue.  My 
donkey's  name  was  Yankee  Doodle,  and  the  small 
Arab  boy  who  engineered  and  guided  him  spoke 
smattering  EngHsh  enough  to  recite  the  song  of  Yankee 
Doodle  Dandy  and  to  suggest  every  few  minutes,  in 
very  plaintive  tones,  that  he  would  like  a  little  back- 
sheesh to  buy  some  clover  for  the  pony.  Shortly  after 
reaching  the  boat  we  again  cast  off  the  lines  and  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river,  coming  about  5  o'clock  to  a  fleet 
of  Egyptian  boats,  all  anchored  in  the  channel  of  the 
river  and  blocking  our  farther  progress,  until  by  means 
of  pulling  and  pushing  and  amid  great  excitement 
and  angry  gesticulation  among  the  native  crews,  we 
squeezed  our  way  between  them  and  continued  on 
throughout  the  night,  although  the  original  program 
provided  for  our  landing  and  tying  up  at  10  o'clock. 
The  picturesque  hamlets  of  mud,  surrounded  by  the 
clustering  palms,  which  forever  bend  their  feather- 
like leaves  to  the  gentlest  breeze;  the  blue-robed 
women  who  come  with  their  graceful  poise  to  the 
river's  side  to  fill  their  balanced  pitchers;  the  village 
girls  and  boys  driving  the  buffaloes  to  drink — all  these 
diversify  the  picture. 


39 

February  25. — All  day  long  we  have  been  pushing 
our  way  up  the  Nile  with  great  similarity  of  view  to 
that  already  passed,  viz :  mud  villages,  chattering  and 
excited  Arabs,  patches  of  alfalfa,  wheat  and  sugar- 
cane, groves  of  date  palms  and  fleets  of  sail-boats 
loaded  with  limestone  and  other  freight — except  that 
on  the  east  bank,  a  little  over  a  hundred  miles  above 
Cairo,  the  country  becomes  rougher  and  the  river 
is  flanked  closely  by  limestone  bluffs,  ranging  from 
fifty  to  three  hundred  feet  in  height.  This  stone,  when 
quarried  and  dressed,  is  almost  as  white  and  beautiful 
as  marble.  About  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
above  Cairo  on  the  west  bank  we  pass  the  town 
of  El-kais,  where  is  located  a  Coptic  convent.  Min- 
yah,the  capital  of  the  pro^dnceof  the  same  name,  with 
a  population  of  twenty  thousand,  was  passed  during 
the  afternoon,  and  at  5.30  we  tied  up  for  the  night  at 
Beni-Hasan,  where  are  some  famous  tombs  that  we 
shall  visit  to-morrow.  A  miscellaneous  gathering 
of  natives  and  donkeys  greeted  us.  After  a  short 
walk  on  shore  we  returned  to  the  boat  to  dinner  and 
Hstened  to  a  lecture  from  Doctor  Dunning. 

February  26. — Breakfast  at  7  a.  m.  Aboard  the 
donkeys  at  7.30,  lined  up  for  the  village  of  Beni-Hasan, 
half  a  mile  from  shore,  through  the  narrow  street 
of  which  we  rode  amidst  the  worst  bedlam  of  screeches, 
howls  and  appeals  for  backsheesh  we  have  yet  experi- 
enced. Everyone,  from  infancy  to  imbecile  old  age, 
had  an  outstretched  hand  and  an  appealing  cry.  Pass- 
ing on  we  climbed  the  hill  to  a  high  mesa  at  the  foot 
of  a  towering  ledge  of  limestone,  out  of  the  solid  sides 
of  which  were  the  excavations  for  the  temple  of  Speos 
Artemidos.    The  walls  were  adorned  with  carvings 


40 

in  the  solid  rock  and  also  with  paintings  illustrative 
of  the  everyday  life  and  occupations  of  the  builder. 
Passing  from  here  by  a  trail  leading  along  the  foot  of 
the  bluff,  for  a  couple  of  miles,  we  came  to  the  tombs 
of  Beni-Hasan,  thirty-nine  in  number,  which  are  also 
carved  out  of  the  solid  rock,  the  roof  being  sup- 
ported by  sundry  pillars  or  columns  more  or  less 
carved  and  ornamented.  In  one  tomb  the  columns 
were  fluted  Corinthian  and  in  another,  the  tomb  of 
Kahdi,  each  column  represents  four  lotus  stems  with 
unopened  buds,  and  painted  in  red,  blue  and  yellow. 
The  view  of  the  Valley  of  the  Nile  from  these  heights 
is  broad  and  beautiful.  Returned  to  the  boat  at  9.30 
and  proceeded  up  the  river  at  10  a.  m.,  passing  Roda 
and  sundry  other  small  villages,  at  the  former  of 
which  is  a  large  sugar  factory.  The  east  bank  of 
the  river  has  been  characterized  all  day  long  by  a  steep, 
lofty  and  continuous  cHff  of  white  limestone,  which 
is  at  many  points  being  blasted  and  rolled  down  to  the 
river's  edge  to  be  loaded  on  the  native  vessels,  to  be 
used  for  rip-rapping  the  river's  banks,  for  building 
stone  and  for  converting  into  lime.  About  11  p.  m. 
we  tied  up  to  the  bank  just  below  the  dam  at  Asyut, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  Cairo. 

February  27. — Arose  for  a  7.30  breakfast  and  looked 
out  upon  a  crowd  of  natives  on  native  boats  lining  the 
shore  and  also  upon  several  native  men,  naked  and 
taking  their  morning  bath  in  the  river  with  the  ther- 
mometer standing  at  45°.  In  a  few  moments  we  cast 
off  our  lines  and  steamed  into  the  lock  followed  by  four 
native  vessels  and  were  Hfted  to  the  level  of  the  water 
above  the  dam.  This  dam  is  about  half  a  mile  long 
and  is  composed  of  a  series  of  hmestone  arches  or 


41 

openings  more  than  one  hundred  in  number,  on  top  of 
which  is  a  bridge  floor  for  both  animals  and  pedes- 
trians. The  difference  in  level  of  the  water  above 
and  below  the  dam  is  eight  feet  three  inches.  After 
breakfast  we  went  ashore  amidst  the  excited  impor- 
tunities of  native  merchants,  who  lined  the  bank,  with 
metallic  embroidered  shawls  for  sale .  Mounted  on  don- 
keys or  in  carriages  we  set  out  for  the  town  of  Asyut, 
passing  through  the  principal  streets  and  the  bazar. 
We  have  seen  filth  in  multiplied  forms  before,  but 
never  in  such  magnificent  extravagance  and  in  such 
richness  of  detail  as  here.  Flies  swarm  in  countless 
millions  over  everything  and  everybody.  Children 
from  babes  in  arms  up,  can  be  seen  with  their  faces 
absolutely  covered  with  flies  and  manifesting  no 
apparent  annoyance  and  making  no  effort  to  remove 
them.  Grown  people  and  children  alike  attend 
to  the  calls  of  nature  whenever  and  wherever  the  spirit 
moves  them,  be  it  beside  the  front  door  or  in  the  market 
place.  Passing  through  the  village  we  ascended  a 
high  hill  and  visited  several  tombs  of  a  similar  char- 
acter to  those  already  visited.  From  the  summit  of 
the  hill  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country.  On  the  return  journey  we  stopped  for  half 
an  hour  and  visited  a  Protestant  mission  school  in 
which  some  of  our  party  appeared  deeply  interested. 
Asyut  is  noted  for  its  pottery  manufactures  and  also 
as  one  of  the  chief  places  for  the  manufacture  of  white 
and  black  tulle  shawls,  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver, 
and  for  which  tourists  pay  all  sorts  of  prices,  meas- 
ured only  by  their  gullibility.  An  Arab  iperchant 
will  begin  by  offering  the  shawls  at  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  dollars,  according  to  quality,  but  will  wind 
up,  if  the  tourist  is  sufficiently  patient  and  conserva- 


42 

tive,  in  clinching  a  sale  at  two  to  five  dollars  each. 
We  reached  the  boat  shortly  after  11a.  m.,and  imme- 
diately cast  off  and  proceeded  up  the  river. 

February  28. — After  an  all  night  run  we  reached, 
shortly  after  breakfast,  the  city  of  Abydos,  about  four 
hundred  miles  above  Cairo.  Instead  of  a  donkey 
we  took  a  sand  cart  for  a  drive  to  the  temples 
of  Seti  I  and  Rameses  II.  Seven  or  eight  miles 
across  a  level  country  of  great  fertility  and  product- 
iveness, intersected  by  several  large  irrigating  canals, 
and  carrying  heavy  crops  of  beans,  wheat,  barley 
and  sugar  cane,  brought  us  to  the  temples,  whose 
present  ruined  condition  served  only  as  a  guide  to  the 
imagination  in  picturing  the  magnificence  of  their 
original  architectural  and  artistic  beauty.  The  roofs 
of  the  temples  were  supported  by  limestone  columns, 
some  forty  feet  in  height  and  six  feet  in  diameter. 
Every  inch,  not  only  of  these  columns,  but  of  the  walls 
of  the  temples,  was  covered  with  carved  figures  and 
hieroglyphics  illustrating  the  life,  the  occupations,  the 
adventures  and  the  achievements  of  the  kings  who 
erected  them.  The  carvings  on  the  pillars  were 
uncolored,  but  those  on  the  walls  were  beautifully 
colored,  and  while  in  most  cases  the  coloring  is  badly 
deteriorated,  yet  in  some  of  the  best  protected  spots 
it  is  still  quite  vivid.  These  ruins  mark  the  site  of 
the  oldest  known  capital  of  Egypt.  The  ride  back 
to  the  boat  was  somewhat  tempered  in  its  pleasure  by 
the  slowness  of  our  pony  and  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
Immediately  following  our  return  the  boat  proceeded 
on  up  the  river  until  6  o'clock  p.  m.,  when  we  tied  up 
for  the  night  at  Nag  Hamadi,  where  a  railroad  bridge 
crosses  the  Nile  and  where  a  large  sugar  factory  is 
located. 


43 

February  29. — At  7.30  a.  m.  we  cast  off  from  shore 
and  proceeded  through  the  draw  of  the  railroad  bridge, 
which  is  only  open  for  half  an  hour  twice  a  day.  We 
have  been  passing  to-day  many  shadoufs  with  the 
natives  industriously  raising  the  water  from  level 
to  level  for  irrigating  their  crops.  It  is  work  well 
calculated  for  muscular  development,  and  their  lithe 
and  active  bodies  carry  not  a  pound  of  surplus  or 
flabby  flesh.  The  Egyptians  average  fully  as  great 
in  height  as  Americans,  which  is  rather  a  surprise  to 
me.  We  have  passed  to-day  great  fields  of  poppies 
in  full  bloom,  for  the  first  time  on  the  trip.  The 
scenery  is  unchanged  and  monotonous  and  the  tem- 
perature is  reaching  the  point  of  discomfort,  standing 
above  eighty  degrees  in  the  shade  on  the  boat  and 
hotter  than  a  Sacramento  Valley  Fourth  of  July  in  the 
sun.  Shortly  after  lunch  we  stopped  at  Denderah 
where  the  donkeys  were  in  waiting  to  take  us  to  the 
temples,  a  half  hour's  ride  distant.  Taking  into 
consideration  the  state  of  the  temperature 'and  the 
similarity  of  temples  and  tombs  at  different  points, 
I  considered  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor  and 
remained  aboard  the  boat,  while  most  of  the  party 
proceeded  on  the  trip.  At  8  p.  m.  reached  Luxor.. 
At  10.30  went  ashore  and  had  a  moonlight  view  of  the 
temple  of  Luxor,  which  stands  only  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  landing.  In  the  soft  and  sub- 
dued light  of  the  moon  the  effect  was  awe  inspiring 
and  transcended  anything  we  have  yet  seen. 

March  1. — Arising  just  as  the  sun  was  greeting  the 
horizon,  the  air  was  soft  and  balmy  as  a  California 
summer  morning.  The  yellow  cliffs  of  the  ragged 
mountain  range  on  the  west  bank  began  to  take  on  a 


44 


pinkish  tint  which  gradually  deepened  to  a  royal 
purple,  and  finally  shaded  off  into  a  robin's  egg  blue. 
The  sky  was  as  blue  as  a  Colorado  sapphire  and  as 
guiltless  of  clouds  as  an  Egyptian  peasant  boy  fre- 
quently is  of  clothes.  At  8.30  we  mounted  our 
donkeys  and  set  out  for  a  view  of  the  great  temple  of 
Karnak.  I  shall  attempt  no  description  of  this  won- 
derful ruin  with  its  colossal  columns,  its  extended 
avenues  of  sphinxes  and  wonderful  carvings  and  bas 
reliefs,  for  all  that  can  be  obtained  in  extenso  from  the 
guide-books.  After  spending  several  hours  in  study- 
ing the  ruins  we  returned  to  the  boat  for  lunch  and 
spent  the  afternoon  in  wandering  about  the  town, 
which  contains  ten  or  a  dozen  small  stores  and  several 
tourist  hotels,  one  of  which,  the  Winter  Palace,  is  new, 
beautiful  and  modern  in  all  its  appointments,  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  grounds  filled  with  trees, 
shrubs  and  beautiful  flowers.  Several  English  noble- 
men and  many  wealthy  Germans  were  among  its 
guests  for  the  winter.  The  ruins  of  the  Luxor  temple 
are  lacking  in  the  carvings  and  inscriptions  that  char- 
acterize Karnak  and  are  much  more  impressive  by 
moonlight  than  in  the  sharp  glare  of  the  midday  sun. 

March  2. — Having  contracted  a  severe  cold,  I 
found  on  rising  this  morning  that  I  was  unfit  for 
excursion  duty.  Concluded  therefore  to  cut  out  the 
official  trip  of  the  day,  which  consisted  in  crossing  the 
river  in  a  native  sail  boat  and  a  visit  to  the  tomb  of 
the  Kings,  the  temples  of  Kurnah,  Ramisseum  and 
the  Colossi. 

The  ancient  city  of  Thebes  with  its  one  hundred 
gates,  its  teeming  population  and  its  historical  splen- 
dor stood  upon  the  site  surrounding  us  and  covered 


45 

both  banks  of  the  Nile.  The  chmate  of  Egypt  has 
been  eulogized  unstintedly  by  the  guide  books,  but 
to  me  it  is  most  trying.  Its  sudden  changes  from  heat 
to  cold  and  from  balmy,  dreamy  quiet  to  blustering, 
disagreeable  winds,  with  the  sand  filling  your  eyes  and 
mouth,  has  no  counterpart  outside  of  San  Francisco. 

By  train  or  boat,  crowds  of  tourists  are  constantly 
arriving,  half  of  whom  are  Americans  and  the  re- 
mainder English,  French  and  German,  the  latter  pre- 
dominating. The  restlessness  of  thrift  and  pros- 
perity has  become  epidemic ;  and  the  privations,  dis- 
comforts and  irritating  conditions  that  people  of 
assured  incomes  will  undergo,  under  the  guise  of  satis- 
fying their  curiosity  and  having  a  good  time,  are  more 
astonishing  than  the  works  of  antiquity  and  the 
peculiarities  of  the  people  they  spend  their  money  to 
see.  America,  even  with  its  inflictions  of  Teddy 
Roosevelt  and  Wm.  Jennings  Bryan,  and  sundry  other 
grievous  pests,  is  paradise  compared  with  anything 
we  have  steered  up  against  in  this  oriental  domain. 

But  as  I  sat  here  on  deck  waiting  for  the  dinner  call, 
the  sun  went  down  in  a  bank  of  clouds  and  for  a  few 
minutes  the  dullness  of  the  shades  and  shadows  gave 
disappointment;  the  yellow  hills  turned  to  a  dark 
gray  and  it  looked  as  if  the  twilight  was  about  to  close 
into  evening's  darkness,  when  suddenly  the  clouds 
began  to  light  up;  a  stream  of  crimson  shot  athwart 
the  northern  sky;  then  a  tinge  of  lavender  underlaid 
with  a  belt  of  gold,  trimmed  with  a  fringe  of  azure 
blue,  all  finally  shading  into  a  broad  curtain  of  blaz- 
ing red,  as  if  the  day  of  judgment  had  arrived  and  the 
western  half  of  the  world  was  being  consumed  with 
an  all  pervading  conflagration.  For  nearly  half  an 
hour  it  seemed,  though  possibly  not  so  long,  this  beau- 


d6 

tiful  painting  adorned  the  western  horizon,  and  then, 
as  its  glory  faded,  the  silvery  shades  of  the  beautiful 
moon  cast  their  glamour  over  the  eastern  sky  and 
lighted  up  the  ruins  of  the  temple,  filling  every  column 
and  niche  with  a  ghostly  and  mystical  aspect  reminisc- 
ent of  the  pomp  and  glory  of  ancient  Thebes.  The 
spot  upon  which  ancient  Thebes  stood  is  admirably 
adapted  for  the  site  of  a  great  city.  The  mountains 
on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  river  sweep  away 
from  it  and  leave  a  broad  plain  on  each  bank,  of  several 
square  miles  in  extent,  easily  adapted  to  irrigation 
from  the  waters  of  the  Nile.  It  is  here  that  the  great 
river  makes  its  nearest  approach  to  the  Red  Sea  and 
then  soon  turns  away  from  it  in  a  great  bend  to  the 
west. 

It  seems  that  in  those  days  there  were  men  whose 
egotism  reached  a  point  in  no  wise  inferior  to  that  of 
some  of  our  public  men  of  to-day.  For  instance, 
in  the  reign  of  one  of  the  early  sovereigns  of  Thebes, 
there  lived  a  famous  artist  and  sculptor  who  said  of 
himself:  ^^I  know  the  things  of  sacred  literature  and 
the  regulations  of  the  festivals  and  every  word  of 
power  with  which  a  man  should  be  provided.  I  have 
never  put  them  away  from  me.  I  am,  moreover, 
a  workman  skilled  in  his  craft,  who,  by  reason  of  his 
knowledge,  hath  risen  above  all  others.  I  have 
knowledge  concerning  the  water  flood  of  the  Nile  and 
of  the  rising  of  the  scales  in  making  reckoning  by 
weighing,  and  how  to  depict  the  motion  of  a  limb 
when  it  is  extended  and  withdrawn  to  its  place.  I 
know  how  to  depict  the  gait  of  a  man  and  the  way 
in  which  a  woman  beareth  herself,  and  the  two  arms 
of  Horus  and  the  twelve  abodes  of  the  monster  and 
how  to  gaze  with  that  unequaled  eye  which  striketh 


47 

terror  into  the  fiends,  and  how  to  balance  the  arm 
in  such  a  way  as  to  smite  down  the  Hippopotamus, 
and  how  to  depict  the  stride  of  him  who  runneth. 
I  know  how  to  make  the  amulets  which  will  enable  us 
to  go  unharmed  through  every  fire  whatsoever  and 
which  will  keep  us  from  being  washed  away  by  any 
water  whatsoever.  No  man  getteth  skill  in  these 
matters  except  myself  and  the  eldest  son  of  my 
body,  unto  whom  God  hath  decreed  that  he  should 
advance  in  them. "  Is  there  any  need  for  the  geneal- 
ogist to  search  further  for  the  ancient  lineal  ancestor 
of  the  Roosevelt  family? 

March  3. — Spent  the  morning  looking  about  the 
streets  and  shops  of  Luxor  and  strolled  through  the 
beautiful  grounds  of  the  Winter  Palace  Hotel,  filled  with 
trees,  shrubs  and  flowering  plants.  Among  the  cul- 
tivated flowers  is  a  row  of  old  fashioned  Jimson  weed, 
such  as  used  to  line  neglected  yards  and  waste  places 
in  Ohio  when  I  was  a  boy.  Roses  do  not  seem  to  do 
well  here,  most  of  the  buds  being  blasted  either  by 
the  trying  winds  or  insect  pests.  At  11  a.  m.  all 
lines  were  cast  off,  and  we  proceeded  up  the  river,  pass- 
ing here  and  there  date  palm  groves,  sugar  factories 
and  natives  busily  engaged  at  their  shadoufs  irrigat- 
ing their  crops. 

Arrived  at  Esna,  four  hundred  and  eighty-five 
miles  from  Cairo, about  5  p.m. ;  landed  and  proceeded 
through  the  village  on  foot  to  the  temple  of  Thotmes 
III.  While  this  is  one  of  the  latest  temples  built  and  is 
of  minor  dimensions  compared  with  Karnak,  its 
portico  is  supported  by  twenty-four  of  the  most 
beautifully  carved  columns;  the  capital  of  each  col- 
umn is  of  a  different  pattern  and  every  inch,  both 


48 

of  the  columns  and  of  the  walls  of  the  temple,  is  cov- 
ered by  the  most  artistic  and  best  preserved  speci- 
mens of  hieroglyphics  and  historical  bas-reliefs  that 
have  greeted  us.  Leaving  Esna  we  proceeded  up 
the  river  some  thirty  miles,  passing  several  small 
villages  on  the  way  and  reaching  Edfu  at  11  p.  m., 
where  the  boat  tied  up  for  the  night  and  a  number  of 
the  party  went  on  an  exploring  expedition  through  the 
town. 

In  the  morning  an  excursion  was  made  to  the  temple 
which,  though  not  so  ancient  as  some  others,  is  remark- 
able for  its  almost  complete  state  of  preservation. 
Begun  more  than  two  hundred  years  B.  C,  it  was  over 
one  hundred  and  eighty  years  in  building,  with  towers 
more  than  one  hundred  feet  high.  The  columns  and 
pylons  are  covered  with  historical  inscriptions  showing 
battle  scenes,  hunting  and  domestic  incidents.  The 
temple  had  in  course  of  time  been  completely  buried 
by  the  shifting  sands  of  the  desert  and  other  houses 
and  stables  had  been  built  above  its  roof,  but  about 
fifty  years  ago,  M.  Mariette,  under  the  auspices  of  an 
archeological  society,  caused  the  debris  to  be  exca- 
vated and  once  more  exposed  the  beautiful  building 
to  the  gaze  and  admiration  of  the  modern  traveler. 

March  4- — About  11  a.  m.  we  reached  Kom  Ombo 
and  stopped  for  an  hour  to  visit  the  temple,  which  was 
very  similar  in  its  general  aspects  to  those  already 
seen.  Here  are  the  mummified  carcasses  of  two 
alligators.  Although  the  temple  was  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  boat-landing  the  trip  was  very 
uncomfortable  on  account  of  the  heat.  I  have  never 
felt  the  rays  of  the  midsummer  sun  in  California 
more  intense  than  at  this  place.    By  sundown,  how- 


49 

ever,  it  was  cool  enough  for  an  overcoat.  For  the  last 
twenty  miles  the  river  has  narrowed  up  to  about  one- 
half  its  previous  width.  Another  beautiful  sunset 
characterized  the  close  of  the  day.  At  7.30  p.  m.  we 
reached  Assouan.  The  meals  on  the  boat  during 
the  trip  have  been  progressively  bad,  consisting  of  five 
or  six  courses  of  indescribable  and  mysterious  com- 
pounds, each  one  more  distasteful  than  its  predecessor. 
To  add  to  the  aggravation  of  it  the  steward  stops  you 
each  time  as  you  leave  the  dining  room  and  inquires 
how  you  enjoyed  your  meal. 

March  5, — At  8.30  a.  m.  took  a  boat  rowed  by  six 
natives  and  visited  the  temple  of  Isis,  which  stands  on 
the  island  of  Philae  and  which,  owing  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Assouan  dam,  is  now  partially  submerged. 
When  the  addition  to  the  dam  now  in  process  of  con- 
struction is  finished  the  temple  will  be  almost  entirely 
submerged. 

The  temple  of  Isis  or  Philae  is  not  as  large  as  those 
at  Luxor  and  Karnak,  but  is  very  similar  in  style  of 
construction.  From  the  temple  we  re-entered  our 
boats  and  were  rowed  to  the  Assouan  dam,  about  two 
and  one-half  miles  below  Philae;  there  we  landed  and 
had  lunch.  Owing  to  the  constructive  work  in  prog- 
ress we  were  not  permitted  to  walk  across  the  dam, 
but  walked  down  to  the  canal  locks  where,  after  seeing 
a  native  plunge  fifty  or  sixty  feet  from  the  surface  of 
the  lock  to  the  water  below  and  rewarding  him  with 
backsheesh,  we  took  to  our  boats  again  at  the  lower 
of  four  locks  and  rowed  to  the  village  of  Assouan, 
where  we  spent  an  hour  exploring  the  mysteries  of  the 
bazaar  with  its  infinity  of  small  shops  and  curious 

wares  of  every  oriental  pattern.    Returned  to  the 
1677—4 


50 

steamer  at  5p.m.  The  Assouan  dam  is  considered  one 
of  the  greatest  of  its  kind  in  existence,  while  its  greatest 
head  of  water  (66  feet)  is  far  surpassed  by  several  of 
the  irrigation  projects  in  the  United  States  its  great 
length — more  than  one  and  one-fourth  miles — gives 
character  to  the  claims  for  the  vastness  of  the  proj- 
ect. Opposite  the  village  is  Elephantine  Island,  some- 
what noted  for  its  tombs,  but  which  did  not  excite  our 
curiosity  sufficiently  to  visit  it.  This  island  was 
regarded  in  the  ancient  days  as  the  key  to  lower 
Egypt  from  the  south  and  during  the  Roman  occu- 
pation was  strongly  fortified  and  garrisoned. 

March  6. — At  2  a.  m.  a  number  of  our  party  got  up 
to  see  the  southern  cross,  but  did  not  feel  repaid  for  the 
exertion.  At  11.30  a.  m.  started  on  our  return  trip 
down  the  river,  reaching  Kom  Ombo  at  2.30  p.  m. 
and  stopping  for  another  view  of  the  ruins.  Just 
below  here  is  a  very  large  irrigation  plant  pumping 
through  three  immense  main  pipes  and  supplying 
water  sufficient  for  the  irrigation  of  forty  thousand 
acres.  In  fact  the  ancient  and  the  modern  are  curi- 
ously conmiingled  along  the  whole  stretch  of  this 
mighty  river.  Within  sight  of  this  modern  irrigating 
plant,  with  its  Herculean  engines,  can  be  seen  the  untir- 
ing native  operating  his  shadouf  in  the  same  identical 
way  that  characterized  his  ancestors  four  thousand 
years  ago  in  refreshing  the  thirsty  soil.  Side  by  side 
with  obelisks  and  tombs  one  sees  the  smoking  chimney 
of  an  up-to-date  sugar  factory,  with  its  massive  and 
complicated  machinery,  and  all  along  the  banks,  in 
inconsistent  defiance  of  their  repose,  the  railway 
engine  shrieks  its  triumphant  challenge  to  the  slow 
and  ungainly  camel,  and  the  telegraph  spins  its  thread 
and  sends  stock  quotations  of  London  and  Paris  in 


51 

front  of  the  stony  and  unmoved  faces  of  old  Rameses 
and  the  Colossi.  Life  and  death  here  are  ever  in  sight 
and  in  perpetual  contrast.  The  land  is  one  subhme 
charnel  house  saved  only  from  mournfulness  by  the 
ever  fertilizing  river  of  life  which  passes  through  it. 
At  8  p.  m.  tied  up  for  the  night  at  Edfu.  Another 
magnificent  sunset  greeted  us  this  evening,  following 
a  whole  day  of  very  strong,  disagreeable  cold  wind, 
with  the  sky  partially  covered  with  scattering  clouds 
and  the  air  full  of  fine  particles  of  sand. 

March  7^ — At  8  a.  m.  most  of  the  party  went  ashore 
for  another  view  of  the  temple  of  Edfu.  Continuing 
our  trip  down  the  river,  about  2  p.  m.  we  passed  through 
the  lock  of  the  dam  at  Esna,  reached  Luxor  at  6  p.m., 
and  the  tints  of  evening  which  begin  so  early  already 
clothed  the  abrupt  and  channeled  mountains  with 
their  mother-of-pearl  hues.  The  princely  date  palm 
is  almost  the  only  landscape  companion  and  its  colors 
vary  as  do  the  colors  of  everything  here  through  the 
nice  gradations  of  daylight.  As  the  fresh  morning 
strikes  it,  it  is  of  a  silvery  green,  and  in  full  light  its 
stem  is  a  golden  brown,  warmer  than  any  other  tints 
in  the  landscape,  and  when  the  wind  is  strong  its 
graceful  hair  is  tossed  over  its  eyes  like  that  of  a 
mermaid  amidst  the  waves. 

March  8. — Still  at  Luxor.  Ten  of  our  party  crossed 
the  river  and  made  a  trip  on  donkeys  to  the  tombs  of 
the  Queens.  Everybody  at  Luxor  sells  antiques. 
The  Arab  idea  of  our  meaning  of  the  word  antique 
seems  to  be  something  beautiful  or  that  commands 
the  admiration,  and  that  it  is  applicable  alike  to 
scarabs,  chameleons,  babies  or  watermelons.     If  you 


52 

examine  or  take  an  apparent  fancy  to  any  object  in 
his  stock,  it  becomes  at  once  in  his  eyes  and  by  his 
most  fervent  assurance  a  ^'sure  enough"  antique. 

March  9, — Still  at  Luxor.  In  company  with  my 
congenial  friend  Woodruff  wandered  through  the 
gardens  surrounding  the  Luxor  and  Winter  Palace 
hotels  and  patronized  some  of  the  photograph  shops. 
The  sun  is  very  hot — thermometer  92°  in  the  shade. 
Left  the  steamer  at  6  p.  m.  and  boarded  the  railroad 
train  for  Cairo  an  hour  later,.  The  sleeping  car  was 
hot  and  stuffy  and  packed  to  the  limit  with  irritable 
and  perspiring  humanity.  In  comfort  or  conven- 
ience it  is  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  class  with 
a  modern  Pullman.  We  were  offered  and  some  of  us 
ate  a  supposititious  dinner  aboard  the  train  com- 
posed of  the  vilest  compounds,  such  as  would  have 
made  fairly  good  slop  for  the  hogs  at  home. 

March  10. — Reached  Cairo  at  7.50  a.  m.  and  went 
directly  to  Shepheard's  Hotel.  It  is  in  the  center  of 
the  busiest  part  of  Cairo  and  from  its  portico  the 
scene  is  one  of  kaleidoscopic  beauty  and  variety. 
At  every  glance  the  scene  is  new  and  varied.  Passing 
in  review  are  a  dozen  or  two  street  merchants  vending 
with  industrious  persistency  their  wares  of  silver 
spangled  shawls,  gaudy  beads,  scarabs  of  doubtful 
antiquity  and  Turkish  rugs  of  varied  value.  Mendi- 
cants of  a  hundred  different  ailments,  appealing 
with  annoying  pertinacity  for  backsheesh;  boys  in 
circus  tights  turning  somersaults  and  cartwheels  on 
the  hard  asphalt  pavement  almost  under  the  passing 
horses'  feet  in  the  hope  of  a  half  piastre  contribution 
from  some  easy  going  tenderfoot;  dozens  of  postal- 


53 

card  vendors  with  views  of  everything  in  Egypt, 
ancient  or  modern;  peddlers  of  Nile  water  at  half- 
penny a  glass  and  shght  of  hand  performers,  whose 
skill  in  deceiving  the  eye  is  little  less  than  marvelous. 
Arabs  of  clear,  almost  copper-colored  complexion  and 
wearing  a  red  fez;  Egyptians  of  darker  shade  with 
vari-colored  turbans  and  skirts  touching  the  ground; 
Nubians  and  Soudanese,  black  as  the  night,  with 
wooly  hair,  thick  lips  and  shining  white  teeth  much 
in  evidence  by  reason  of  their  smiling  good  nature; 
French,  Italian  and  German  Jews,  who  are  proprie- 
tors of  most  of  the  small  shops;  Dragomen  with  their 
gaily  and  many  colored  habiliments  wearing  their 
badge  of  office  in  silver  or  gold  letters  upon  the  left 
arm;  Turkish  soldiers  and  native  policemen  clothed 
in  khaki  uniforms  and  making  their  authority  manifest 
at  frequent  intervals  by  scattering  the  hoodlums  and 
beggars,  and  to  finish  up  the  panorama  are  the  hun- 
dreds of  American,  German  and  Enghsh  tourists 
arriving  and  departing  in  a  continuously  flowing 
stream.  It  is  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the  gen- 
erations. Long  strings  of  ancient  moth-eaten  camels 
such  as  furnished  the  transportation  in  the  days  of 
Abraham;  trains  of  donkeys  like  unto  the  one  ridden 
into  Jerusalem  by  our  Saviour;  bicycles  and  auto- 
mobiles of  the  latest  twentieth  century  pattern  are 
all  in  evidence  and  all  essential  to  the  varied  dealings 
and  doings  of  this  combination  city  of  the  Occident 
and  Orient,  this  city  of  the  past  and  present.  A  more 
varied,  conglomerate  and  highly  colored  human  pic- 
ture cannot  be  found  on  this  great  round  world  of 
ours.  At  3  p.  m.,  in  company  with  Mr.  Woodruff, 
took  the  tram  car  and  went  out  to  see  the  great 
Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx.    At  a  distance  the  Pyra- 


54 

mids  look  as  if  they  were  smooth  and  finished,  but  a 
close  approach  shows  them  to  be  rough  and  sadly 
disintegrated  on  the  outside  by  the  remorseless  inroads 
of  time.  Great  masses  of  debris  that  have  crumbled 
from  the  sides,  lie  scattered  about  and  are  more  or  less 
covered  up  by  the  continually  shifting  and  drifting 
sands  of  the  desert.  In  such  a  climate  as  that  of  the 
United  States  these  monuments  of  an  early  civiliza- 
tion would  have  disintegrated,  collapsed  and  entirely 
disappeared  thousands  of  years  ago,  but  in  a  country 
where  it  rarely  ever  rains  and  never  freezes,  the  life 
of  limestone  and  even  of  wood  itself  is  immeasurably 
prolonged.  We  saw  people  in  considerable  numbers 
ascending  and  descending  the  great  Pyramid  of  Cheops 
with  the  boosting  aid  of  Arab  guides,  and  one  common 
every  day  American  dog  followed  his  master  to  the  top 
and  back  with  apparent  delight  and  without  assist- 
ance. Passing  beyond  the  Pyramid  we  came  to  a 
bench  whence  we  could  look  down  upon  the  Sphinx, 
but  did  not  go  further,  as  we  expect  to  go  again  the 
latter  part  of  the  week. 

March  11. — This  morning  we  took  a  long  drive  out 
to  the  site  of  ancient  Heliopolis,  about  five  miles 
northeast  of  Cairo,  stopping  on  the  way  at  the  small 
village  of  Matariya,  where,  according  to  the  tradition 
of  the  credulous,  are  the  tree  and  well  where  Joseph 
and  the  Virgin  Mary  sat  down  to  rest  on  their  flight 
to  Egypt  with  the  child  Jesus.  Our  guide,  however, 
took  pains  to  destroy  the  depth  of  our  reverence  by 
informing  us  that  the  old  sycamore  tree,  which  is 
now  prostrate,  was  planted  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury of  our  era  and  that  it  is  supposed  in  the  vagaries 
of  faith-filled  minds  to  have  been  planted  on  the 


55 

selfsame  spot  where  its  apocryphal  predecessor 
sheltered  the  weary  refugees  with  their  sacred  child. 
There  is  also  close  by  a  spring  or  well  in  which  the 
infant's  garments  are  alleged  to  have  been  washed, 
the  water  from  which,  when  thrown  out,  started  the 
growth  of  a  new  variety  of  balsam-bearing  plants, 
a  drop  of  the  oil  from  which  was  essential  to  the  safe 
and  sane  baptism  of  every  Christian.  At  Heliopolis, 
which  was  once  a  great  city,  there  is  only  left  to  mark 
its  site  one  granite  obelisk  about  sixty-five  or  seventy 
feet  high.  Going  and  coming  back  from  Heliopolis 
we  passed  the  palace  of  the  Khedive  of  Egypt,  sur- 
rounded by  beautiful  gardens  and  enclosed  by  a  high 
wall. 

This  afternoon  we  visited  the  Egyptian  Museum, 
where  are  collected  a  vast  mass  of  the  exhumed  antiq- 
uities from  all  parts  of  Egypt.  Our  Mr.  Dunning 
pointed  out  and  explained  many  of  the  most  ancient 
and  remarkable  exhibits,  but  the  fact  that  the  old 
edition  of  catalogues  was  exhausted  and  no  new  ones 
were  yet  ready  for  distribution  or  sale  rendered  it 
impossible  to  make  a  detailed  study  of  the  exhibits, 
even  had  one  the  time  and  inclination.  But  the  col- 
lection gives  a  wonderful  insight  into  the  religious 
superstitions,  the  arts,  architecture,  mechanical  skill, 
instruments  of  labor,  burial  customs  and  habits  of  life 
of  the  world's  oldest  civilization. 

March  12. — Sick  all  day  with  an  attack  of  ptomaine 
poisoning.  Our  party  was  joined  here  by  Prof.  M.  R. 
Sandf ord,  of  Middlebury,  Vermont ;  Dr.  H.  T.  Webster 
and  wife,  of  Oakland,  Cal.,  and  Mr.  L.  Lodge,  wife  and 
daughter,  of  Long  Beach,  Cal. 


56 

March  IS. — Our  section  of  the  party  spent  the 
morning  about  the  hotel  or  shopping  as  we  pleased. 
In  the  afternoon  we  took  carriages  for  a  drive  to  the 
various  mosques.  Our  drive  carried  us  through  the 
^^Suk'^  or  what  is  commonly  called  by  Europeans, 
the  Bazaar.  For  miles  the  narrow  streets  are  lined 
on  both  sides  with  small  shops  and  stores  containing 
all  kinds  of  oriental  goods  and  wares,  and  natives  are 
seen  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  repair  of  every 
known  article  that  enters  into  their  daily  use,  either 
for  food,  clothing  or  luxurious  adornment.  Every 
niche  in  the  wall  from  five  to  twenty-five  feet  square 
constitutes  a  separate  store  or  shop,  and  together  with 
the  street  itself,  is  literally  teeming  with  people. 
Children  of  all  ages  and  colors  except  white,  some 
clothed  in  nature's  smooth  and  shiny  garments,  and 
others  in  a  long  flowing  night-shirt,  generally  of  a  uni- 
form color  of  blue  or  black,  fill  the  streets,  and  in  a 
smiling,  good  natured  way  hold  out  their  hands  for 
backsheesh,  but  manifesting  no  sign  of  disappoint- 
ment at  not  receiving  it.  The  bazaar  of  Cairo  is  a 
repetition  of  those  we  have  seen  at  smaller  towns  up 
the  Nile,  except  that  its  vastness  of  extent  is  multi- 
plied many  times  as  compared  with  them.  Emerging 
from  the  bazaar,  en  route,  we  passed  the  site  of  old 
Cairo,  now  nothing  but  an  immense  pile  of  dirt  hter- 
ally  filled  with  small  pieces  of  ancient  and  broken  pot- 
tery. We  visited  during  the  afternoon  five  small 
mosques  of  .more  or  less  interesting  character.  The 
mosque  of  Amur,  which  is  the  oldest  in  the  city,  is  now 
used  only  for  sight-seeing  purposes.  It  is  a  stone, 
building,  built  of  stones  taken  from  the  Pyramids — 
around  a  large  exterior  court,  faced  with  columns 
originally  over  three  hundred  in  number.     It  is  now 


57 

nothing  more  than  a  picturesque,  well-worn  ruin. 
The  mosque  Al-Aghar  is  about  a  thousand  years  old 
and  in  its  present  use  constitutes  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  instructive  sights  of  Cairo.  It  is  now 
the  largest  Moslem  University  in  the  world  and  has, 
according  to  the  information  of  different  authorities, 
from  Baedeker  to  our  official  dragoman,  from  seven 
thousand  to  eighteen  thousand  students.  After 
having  our  heretical  feet  encased  in  moslem  slippers 
we  were  permitted  to  pass  the  portals,  and  there, 
seated  in  groups  of  from  three  to  a  dozen  persons,  were 
students  ranging  from  boys  seven  or  eight  years  old 
to  men  of  mature  years,  all  studying  aloud  and  with  a 
swaying  motion  of  the  body  and  of  the  head,  com- 
miting  to  memory  lessons  from  the  Koran.  All  sat 
cross-legged  on  the  hard  stone  floor.  Many  of  these 
students  come  from  distant  portions  of  the  Turkish 
empire  and  in  numerous  instances  are  too  poor  to  have 
separate  lodgings,  and  so  live  altogether  in  the  build- 
ing. Each  one  of  these  is  furnished  with  a  small 
cupboard,  about  two  feet  square,  within  which  he 
keeps  his  food  and  all  other  earthly  possessions. 

The  earnestness  and  zeal  with  which  these  ragged 
and  poverty  stricken  people  devote  themselves  to 
their  lessons — if  voluntary — is  in  the  highest  degree 
commendable,  but  I  was  unable  to  ascertain  how 
much  this  seeming  zeal  was  promoted  by  a  fear  of 
corporal  or  other  punishment  in  case  of  failure  to 
master  their  lessons. 

The  mosque  of  Mohammed  AH,  which  is  within  the 
citadel,  is  the  most  modern  of  the  mosques  and  con- 
tains his  tomb  in  one  corner.  Its  dome  is  more  than 
one  hundred  feet  high  and  is  lighted  through  some  of 
the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  stained  glass  windows 


58 

my  eyes  have  ever  beheld.  The  floor  is  covered  with 
a  rich  and  beautiful  oriental  carpet,  made  to  fit  the 
circular  space  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  acre.  The 
citadel  or  mosque  of  Saladdin  was  the  last  one  we 
visited  and  was  in  its  general  purpose  intended  to  be 
the  strongest  part  of  the  fortifications  of  Cairo. 
From  its  ramparts,  now  manned  by  English  soldiers 
and  defended  by  English  cannon,  we  obtained  a  beau- 
tiful view  of  the  entire  city  of  Cairo  and  saw  the  sun 
go  down  amidst  a  bank  of  clouds  followed  by  the 
usual  rainbow  afterglow. 

March  14  and  15. — Remained  at  the  hotel  sick. 

March  16. — Went  for  drive  again  through  the 
bazaar  and  visited  several  additional  mosques,  also 
the  palace  now  on  the  site  of  the  palace  of  the  Phar- 
aohs whose  daughter  discovered  and  rescued  the 
infant  Moses  out  of  the  basket  in  which  he  was  hidden 
amidst  the  bullrushes  bordering  the  Nile.  We  saw 
the  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  river  at  the  spot  where  he 
was  found,  but  the  bullrushes  have  been  pulled  up. 
We  also  visited  the  Coptic  convent,  being  the  oldest 
Christian  church  in  the  world,  dating  from  the  first 
century,  and  the  place  where  Joseph  and  Mary  and 
the  child  Jesus  remained  in  hiding  while  in  Egypt,  is 
shown  with  a  full  guarantee  of  genuineness.  After 
returning  to  the  hotel  we  took  the  tram-cars  to  the 
river,  crossed  on  a  steam  launch  and  had  lunch  at  the 
Ghezireh  Palace  Hotel. 

Our  tour  through  Egypt  is  ended.  To-morrow  we 
leave  for  Port  Said  and  Palestine.  Historically  and 
physically  Egypt  appeals  to  the  wonder  and  the 
imagination.     The  earliest  cradle  of  the  world's  civi- 


59 

lization,  for  centuries  the  home  of  the  arts  and  sciences, 
its  architectural  genius  fully  proven  by  the  massive 
and  battered  remnants  that  multiplied  centuries  of 
disintegration  and  the  vandal  hands  of  barbarous 
men  have  failed  to  entirely  destroy,  it  stands  to-day 
outside  the  very  frontier  of  progress,  handicapped 
by  ignorance,  superstition  and  Mohammedan  domi- 
nation. Physically,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  fertilizing 
waters  of  its  historic  river,  the  country  is  a  barren 
desert  of  sand  and  desolation.  Within  the  narrow 
margin  of  the  Nile^s  distribution,  a  fecundity  sur- 
passed nowhere  in  the  known  world  prevails,  and  yet 
the  methods  and  instruments  of  cultivation  and 
development  have  in  most  respects  remained  un- 
changed since  the  biblical  days  when  the  brothers  of 
Joseph  sold  him  into  Egyptian  bondage.  Under 
present  English  paternal  direction  and  suggestion, 
however,  when  the  system  of  dams,  reservoirs  and 
canals  for  the  harnessing,  conservation  and  distribu- 
tion of  the  surplus  waters  is  completed,  the  area  of 
productivity  will  have  been  greatly  enlarged  and 
modern  methods  and  appliances  for  the  better  and 
more  economical  utilization  of  such  waters  will  be 
brought  to  the  service  and  benefit  of  the  agricultural 
population.  The  Nile,  to  whose  agency  Egypt  is 
indebted  for  all  that  she  is  or  ever  has  been,  has  its 
birth  in  the  lakes  of  tropical  Africa  some  three  degrees 
south  of  the  equator,  and  is  among  the  very  longest 
of  the  world's  rivers,  though  much  inferior  in  volume 
to  many  others.  Its  course  has  been  interrupted  at 
six  different  points  by  difficulties  of  erosion  through 
the  Nubian  sandstone,  and  these  interruptions  are 
known  as  cataracts,  the  last  of  which  occurs  at  Ele- 
phantine island  near  Assouan.     Below  this  island 


60 

some  distance  the  geologic  formation  changes  to  a 
soft  and  friable  white  limestone,  almost  as  beautiful  as 
marble,  which  afforded  less  resistance  to  the  erosive 
power  of  the  stream,  and  thereafter  the  Nile  has  a 
clear  journey  to  the  Mediterranean  through  the  sands 
of  the  eastern  Sahara.  With  a  current  averaging 
three  miles  an  hour  and  at  no  place  more  than  eleven 
hundred  yards  in  width,  it  flows  through  a  valley  or 
bottom  ranging  from  ten  to  thirty  miles  in  width  for 
a  distance  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  which 
valley  constitutes  all  of  Egypt  that  is  available  for 
the  production  of  the  things  necessary  for  the  con- 
tinued existence  of  human  life.  All  else  beyond  the 
cliffs  on  each  side  of  the  Nile  was  and  is  a  barren  and 
sandy  desert.  Not  over  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
square  miles  of  all  its  area  of  four  hundred  thousand 
is  capable  of  cultivation,  but  the  richness  and  pro- 
ductivity of  its  soil,  constantly  renewed  by  the 
annual  overflow  of  the  great  river,  renders  possible 
the  raising  of  crops  sufficiently  bountiful  to  maintain 
a  population  of  nearly  ten  millions  of  people,  a  dens- 
ity almost,  if  not  quite,  unknown  anywhere  else  on  the 
earth's  surface.  So  sharply  defined  is  the  line  of 
demarcation  between  the  habitable  and  the  desert 
areas  that  one  may  stand  with  one  foot  in  the  verdure 
of  the  valley  and  the  other  in  the  desert  sand.  The 
Egyptian's  world  was  only  a  deep  and  narrow  valley 
of  unparalleled  fertility  winding  between  lifeless 
deserts.  As  seen  from  a  height  it  resembles  a  great 
yellow  blanket,  with  two  narrow  green  stripes  run- 
ning down  the  center  of  its  entire  length,  between 
which  lies  a  meandering  thread  of  burnished  silver  in 
the  glaring  sunlight.  When  the  American  traveler, 
setting  forth  from  a  country  with  less  than  three 


61 

centuries  of  history  behind  him,  sets  foot  in  Egypt, 
he  is  brought  face  to  face  with  scarcely  anything  that 
was  not  ancient  when  the  Christian  era  was  in  its 
early  childhood.  Customs,  types  of  men,  hiero- 
glyphics, mummies,  rolls  of  papyrus,  temples,  tombs 
and  pyramids,  all  call  to  him  from  an  unknown  num- 
ber of  remote  centuries  through  which  has  coursed 
the  life-blood  of  all  human  history. 

March  17. — Left  Cairo  for  Port  Said  by  rail. 
Had  a  beautiful  ride  for  the  first  half  of  the  distance 
through  intensively  cultivated  fields  of  grain,  sugar- 
cane, alfalfa,  etc.,  being  through  some  of  the  richest 
portions  of  the  Nile  delta.  After  turning  east  the 
country  became  a  desert  waste  of  sand.  We  soon 
arrived  at  the  Suez  Canal  and  for  an  hour  or  two  fol- 
lowed its  banks.  Almost  every  few  hundred  yards 
could  be  seen  a  great  dredge  busily  hfting  or  pump- 
ing out  the  sands  of  the  desert,  which  seem  to  drift  and 
slide  into  the  bed  of  the  canal,  and  without  constant 
and  costly  work  would  soon  render  it  unnavigable. 
Several  ocean  steamers  were  passing  enroute  to  the 
East  Indies.  Reached  Port  Said  about  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  and  after  a  drive  about  town  took 
the  steamer  Tewfikia  for  Jaffa.  Our  vessel  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  frenzied  mob  of  natives  in  their  boats, 
and  nothing  seemed  to  exhaust  their  vocal  powers 
nor  to  diminish  their  determination  to  obtain  back- 
sheesh. The  boat  was  overcrowded  with  passengers, 
many  of  whom  were  forced  to  sleep  in  the  cabin. 

March  18. — Reached  Jaffa  after  a  comparatively 
quiet  and  comfortable  night  at  6.30  a.  m.  This  is  a 
much  dreaded  landing  place  in  stormy  weather,  but 
much  to  our  gratification  there  was  no  wind  blowing, 


62 

and  the  sea  was  perfectly  calm.  Immediately  after 
breakfast  we  landed  amidst  another  pandemonium 
of  howling  and  begging  natives.  We  were  driven 
direct  to  the  hotel  and  after  lunch  took  a  drive 
through  the  town  and  its  surroundings.  Passing 
over  a  road  flanked  on  both  sides  by  extensive  orange 
groves  we  ascended  a  long  hill  to  visit  the  house  of 
Simon,  the  Tanner,  where,  according  to  scripture, 
Jesus  ^ ^tarried  many  days.'^  From  thence  we  visited 
the  Russian  or  Greek  church,  where,  in  the  church- 
yard is  the  rock  tomb  of  Tabitha,  whom  Christ 
raised  from  the  dead.  Returning  to  the  Park  Hotel, 
which  by  the  way  is  the  only  familiar  name  we  have 
encountered  since  leaving  home — ^we  assembled  our 
luggage  and  drove  to  the  depot,  where  we  took  a 
narrow  gauge  train  for  Jerusalem,  arriving  at  the 
Fast  Hotel  after  a  ride  of  three  and  one-half  hours. 
The  ride  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  leads  you  first 
through  beautiful  orange  groves  and  later  through 
the  fertile  and  highly  cultivated  plain  of  Sharon,  the 
fields  showing  heavy  crops  of  grain,  and  the  roadsides 
bordered  with  many  varieties  of  beautiful  wild 
flowers.  Gradually,  as  the  train  climbs  the  grade,  the 
physical  character  of  the  country  changes  and  at  a 
distance  of  thirty  miles  from  Jaffa  the  country 
becomes  gradually  more  and  more  rocky  and  deso- 
late, until  Jerusalem  is  reached.  En  route  we  passed 
near  the  town  of  Zorah,  the  supposed  birthplace  of 
Samson. 

March  19. — The  Jerusalem  of  to-day  consists  prac- 
tically of  several  towns.  The  ancient  city  is  still 
confined  within  its  massive  stone  walls.  Outside  the 
walls  a  modern  town  has  sprung  up  and  is  growing 


63 

rapidly.  Our  hotel  is  in  the  modern  city.  Following 
a  comfortable  night's  rest  we  started  out  in  the  morn- 
ing for  a  tour  of  the  places  of  interest.  Passing 
through  the  Damascus  gate  we  followed  through  the 
winding  passages  called  streets  until  we  reached  the 
spot  where  Jesus  is  said  to  have  taken  up  the  cross, 
and  then  followed  each  step  of  his  progress  toward 
the  crucifixion,  all  of  which  is  given  in  full  detail  in 
the  guide  books  and  need  not  be  reiterated  here. 
The  alleged  tomb  of  the  Saviour,  the  mosque  of  Omar 
and  various  other  points  of  historical  interest  were 
visited,  occupying  the  full  day.  The  street  scenes 
in  Jerusalem  are  to  me  the  most  interesting  sights  of 
the  city.  Every  nationality,  every  costume,  and 
every  degree  of  prosperity  or  of  abject  poverty  greet 
the  eye  at  every  step.  The  full-blooded  Turk  with 
his  swagger  of  authority;  the  fierce  and  gloomy  look- 
ing Bedouin  with  his  ragged  but  picturesque  costume; 
the  persecuted  and  downcast  Jew  still  holding  to  his 
penchant  for  grabbing  the  almighty  dollar;  the  alert 
and  vociferous  Arab;  the  "holier  than  thou"  Arme- 
nian with  his  hypocritical  and  revolutionary  cant; 
the  jet  black,  thick-lipped  and  brawny  Nubian 
with  his  white  turban;  the  bluff  and  domineering 
Englishman;  the  sociable  and  chatty  German;  the 
dressy  and  excessively  polite  Frenchman,  and  the 
sight-seeing  American  tourist  are  types  to  be  met 
with  almost  any  time  within  a  block's  walk.  The 
passing  show  also  includes  long  trains  of  camels  and 
donkeys  laden  with  all  kinds  of  merchandise  as  well 
as  with  an  odor  that  knocks  the  props  from  under 
limburger  cheese  or  asafoetida  as  leaders  in  first 
class  perfumes.  Down  in  the  narrow,  crooked  streets 
of  the  old  town  a  veritable  multitude  of  dirty,  scabby 


64 

and  leprous  looking  people  infest  every  nook  and 
corner,  and  an  infinity  of  ragged  children  persistently 
follow  you  with  a  cry  for  backsheesh,  and  every 
woman  you  meet  has  at  least  one  baby  astride  her 
neck  and  another  almost  ready  to  get  there.  The 
whole  atmosphere  and  surroundings  seem  infested 
with  a  rabbit-like  fecundity.  If  it  were  not  that 
seventy  per  cent  of  the  children  die  in  infancy,  the 
city  would  soon  become  a  writhing,  crawling  mass  of 
human  worms,  embedded  and  stuck  together  with 
their  own  filth.  And  this  is  the  holy,  sacred  and 
glorious  city  of  Jerusalem  toward  which  the  truly 
pious  pilgrims  of  the  world  turn  their  longing  steps, 
and  upon  which  they  feast  their  eager  and  fanatic 
eyes.  From  battle,  murder  and  from  modern  Jerusa- 
lem, ^'good  Lord  dehver  us.'' 

March  20. — This  morning  we  took  carriages  for  a 
trip  to  Jericho,  the  River  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea. 
The  road  led  us  around  the  outside  walls  of  old  Jeru- 
salem with  a  gradual  climb  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  for 
a  mile  or  more,  whence  the  road  led  off  through  the 
country  on  a  descending  scale  all  the  way  to  Jericho. 
The  topography  of  the  country  was  a  complete  sur- 
prise and  scenically  was  beautiful  and  varied.  It  was 
a  continuing  succession  of  lofty  hills,  seamed  and 
scarred  and  gashed  with  deep  and  narrow  canons. 
The  first  half  of  the  distance  the  hillsides  were  cov- 
ered with  a  spring  growth  of  grass  and  flowers,  many 
of  the  latter  being  of  beautiful  shades,  and  most 
numerous  among  them  was  a  small  blood-red  poppy. 
The  latter  half  of  the  distance  the  hillsides  were  as 
yellow  and  barren  as  a  Nevada  desert.  In  one  of 
the  deepest  and  wildest  canons  the  cave  was  pointed 
out  to  us  where  Elijah  was  fed  by  the  ravens. 


65 

The  road  down  the  mountains  winds  and  twists  hke 
a  mammoth  snake,  and  at  almost  every  turn  we  met 
trains  of  donkeys  and  camels  loaded  to  their  utmost 
capacity  with  sacks  of  charcoal  on  the  way  from  the 
mountains  of  Moab,  beyond  the  River  Jordan,  to  the 
treeless  market  of  Jerusalem.  The  drivers  of  these 
animals  were  in  almost  every  instance  pinched, 
emaciated,  half -starved  creatures,  with  devilish  hope- 
lessness of  expression  and  in  the  matter  of  raiment 
were  simply  animated  rag-bags.  If  these  are  samples 
of  what  two  thousand  years  of  rehgion  of  one  brand 
or  another  has  done  in  the  way  of  material  and  moral 
uplift  for  a  people,  then  religion  has  been  anything 
but  an  unmixed  blessing  to  them.  Superstition  in 
its  most  hideous  and  revolting  phases,  fed,  nurtured 
and  dominated  by  a  fanatical  priesthood,  controls 
their  every  action  and  movement.  In  the  midst  of  a 
horde  of  pilgrims,  whose  rehgious  enthusiasm  prompts 
them  to  come  thousands  of  miles  on  foot  to  pay  their 
devotions  at  the  tomb  of  Jesus,  we  are  warned  by 
our  party  director  and  guides  to  beware  of  having 
our  pockets  picked  by  the  most  expert  thieves  in  the 
world. 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  journey  we  follow  for  a 
long  distance  a  very  deep  and  precipitous  canon,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  is  a  running  stream  which  emp- 
ties into  the  Jordan  near  Jericho,  and  which  is  sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  the  biblical  brook  of  Cherith. 
On  the  left  hand  side  of  the  canon,  in  an  almost  inac- 
cessible spot,  a  large  stone  monastery  has  been 
erected  which  is  said  by  Baedeker  to  be  a  kind  of 
penitentiary  for  Greek  priests.  About  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  before  reaching  Jericho,  as  we  rounded  the 
corner  of  a  high  cliff,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  broad 
1677—5 


66 

valley,  the  city  of  Jericho  itself,  and  of  the  winding 
silver  thread  of  the  River  Jordan,  and  still  beyond  to 
the  right,  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Dead  Sea,  forty- 
seven  miles  long,  seven  to  ten  miles  wide  and  nearly 
thirteen  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean. 
We  drove  on  through  the  present  village  of  Jericho, 
about  a  mile  to  the  site  of  ancient  Jericho,  where 
some  recent  excavations  have  exposed  to  view  a  few 
old  walls  of  no  particular  interest.  Returning  we 
passed  the  pool  or  fountain  of  Elisha,  which  tradi- 
tion says  is  the  water  he  healed  with  salt.  The  basin 
of  the  spring  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  and  forms 
a  pool  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  square,  and  five  or  six 
feet  deep.  Continuing  our  ride  we  returned  to  mod- 
ern Jericho,  and  put  up  for  the  night  at  the  Belle  view 
Hotel.  The  food  was  vile,  the  flies  swarmed  around 
the  victuals  as  persistently  and  viciously  as  a  hive  of 
bees,  and  the  beds  were  as  lumpy  and  uneven  as 
though,  when  they  put  the  feathers  in,  they  forgot 
to  take  the  chickens  out. 

March  21. — After  breakfast  we  entered  the  car- 
riages and  drove  over  a  plain  of  desolation  for  about 
an  hour,  when  we  reached  the  Jordan  River,  a  swift 
flowing,  muddy  stream,  some  sixty  to  eighty  feet 
wide  at  this  point,  where  boats  were  taken  for  a 
short  ride  up  stream  to  see  the  place  where  Joshua 
and  the  Israelites  are  supposed  to  have  crossed  on 
their  way  to  take  Jericho.  The  banks  of  the  stream 
are  lined  with  willows,  tamarisks  and  a  variety  of 
poplar  somewhat  resembling  our  Carohna  poplar. 
From  the  Jordan,  we  continued  our  ride  for  another 
hour  to  the  Dead  Sea.  The  waters  of  the  sea  are  clear 
and  of  a  greenish  cast.     They  contain  twenty-six  per 


67 

cent  of  solid  matter,  though  only  seven  per  cent  of 
this  is  common  salt.  There  is  a  strong,  bitter  taste 
to  the  water,  complicated  with  a  peculiar  sweetish 
after  taste.  The  beach  is  composed  entirely  of  small 
pebbles,  from  the  tiniest  size  to  one-half  pound  in 
weight,  but  there  is  a  total  absence  of  sand.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  stones  are  flint.  A  number  of  the 
ladies  in  our  party  trailed  down  the  beach  to  the 
left,  a  distance  sufficient  to  meet  the  proprieties  of 
the  occasion,  while  the  men  indulged  in  a  similar 
*^hike"  to  the  right,  and  all  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  a 
bath  in  the  buoyant  waters.  Returning  to  the  hotel 
by  a  different  route,  we  ate  lunch,  rested  for  an  hour 
and  started  on  the  return  trip  to  Jerusalem.  At  this 
hour  the  sun  was  blistering  hot  and  when  we  reached 
the  steep  hill  about  two  miles  from  town,  every  one 
was  ordered  to  alight  from  the  carriages  and  walk  up 
the  hill.  It  was  a  strenuous  climb  and  we  reached 
the  summit  reeking  with  perspiration.  Soon  after 
taking  the  carriages  again,  it  began  to  cloud  up  and 
a  cool  wind  arose  which  rapidly  increased  in  strength 
and  chilliness  until  we  became  very  uncomfortable. 
To  add  to  our  discomfort  an  axle  broke  on  one  of  the 
carriages,  and  the  people  occupying  it  were  distributed 
among  the  other  vehicles,  and  we  were  detained  so 
long  while  the  drivers  rigged  up  a  false  axle  that  we 
did  not  reach  Jerusalem  until  long  after  dark.  His- 
toric and  holy  spots  are  as  numerous  in  Jerusalem  as 
are  the  flies  in  Jericho,  and  the  Arab  guides  for  a  little 
backsheesh  will  lead  you  to  them  with  all  the  posi- 
tiveness  and  assurance  of  a  contemporary  participant. 
A  preconceived  belief  and  an  all  dominating  faith 
are  required  for  the  acceptance  of  these  assurances. 
As  the  city  has  been  destroyed  and  rebuilt  several 


68 

times,  each  time  on  top  of  the  ruins  and  debris  of  its 
predecessor,  the  confusion  and  uncertainty  concern- 
ing the  exact  location  of  historic  spots  and  events  can 
be  readily  seen.  The  Holy  Sepulchre,  now  within 
the  walls  of  a  Mohammedan  mosque,  was  sought  to 
be  identified  more  than  three  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  by  the  mother  of  the  great  Christian  Emperor, 
Constantine,  who  caused  a  beautiful  church  to  be 
erected  over  it.  This  church  was,  however,  destroyed 
and  some  seven  hundred  years  after  its  erection 
another  was  built,  supposedly  in  the  same  place,  by 
the  fanatical  Crusaders.  Under  the  dome  or  canopy 
of  the  sepulchre  is  a  fragment  of  the  stone  which  was 
said  to  have  been  rolled  away  on  the  morning  of  the 
resurrection.  In  an  adjacent  chapel  at  a  slight  ele- 
vation is  the  alleged  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Calvary, 
but  a  close  inspection  raises  a  question  of  doubt  as  to 
whether  this  rocky  eminence  is  composed  of  natural 
or  artificial  stone. 

March  22. — Not  feehng  well  I  remained  in  the 
hotel  all  day.  Hearing  an  unusual  sound  on  the 
street  I  stepped  to  the  window  and  looking  out  beheld 
a  procession  of  about  a  thousand  Russian  pilgrims 
just  arriving  to  pay  their  devotions  to  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  They  were  headed  by  several  priests 
and  were  chanting  a  religious  song  of  some  sort. 
The  sight  was  picturesque,  but  pitiful.  Men  and 
women,  many  of  them  heavily  weighted  with  years, 
clad  in  almost  every  conceivable  style  of  garment, 
faded  in  color  and  ragged  in  condition,  some  entirely 
barefooted,  others  with  their  feet  protruding  through 
their  wrecked  brogans,  were  dragging  their  weary 
bodies  slowly  along.     Not  a  happy  or  satisfied  coun- 


69 

tenance,  but  on  the  contrary  faces  full  of  heaviness 
of  heart,  drudgery,  privation  and  physical  suffering 
characterized  every  one.  Not  even  a  trace  of  fan- 
atical ecstacy  was  visible.  They  were  simply  a  body 
of  dirty,  ragged  and  stolid  human  animals.  It  is 
approaching  Easter,  and  it  is  said  that  during  that 
season  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  of  these  poor 
misguided  creatures  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem, 
many  of  them  coming  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
on  foot.  The  Holy  City  is  the  lode-stone  for  all  creeds, 
sects  and  crank  inspired  conceptions  of  religious 
faith.  The  poorest  and  most  fanatical  Jews  are  here 
in  thousands,  and  on  Friday  afternoons  may  be  seen 
in  swarms  by  the  wall,  wailing  out  their  imaginary 
griefs  over  the  fact  that  the  site  of  the  old  temple  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Gentiles.  Equally  fanatical  Mos- 
lems abound,  for  to  them  Jerusalem  possesses  a 
sacredness  second  only  to  that  of  Mecca.  Monks 
and  nuns  by  the  hundreds  are  here  in  the  interests 
of  and  in  the  propaganda  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith — Franciscans,  Dominicans,  Assumptionists  and 
the  Lord  only  knows  how  many  sisterhoods  are  repre- 
sented in  their  longing  to  be  near  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
All  branches  of  eastern  Catholics,  including  Greeks, 
Russians,  Armenians,  Syrians  and  Copts  have  their 
churches,  monasteries  and  minor  places  of  worship. 
Protestants  of  various  sects  are  scattered  through 
the  unleavened  mass.  Here  is  a  bunch  whose  abiding 
faith  compels  them  to  await  here  the  second  coming 
of  Christ  in  the  hope  of  securing  a  reserved  seat. 
A  colony  is  also  here  whose  leader  represents  in  him- 
self the  reincarnation  of  Elijah,  and  a  deluded  but 
patient  and  persistent  Englishwoman  has  been  wait- 
ing for  many  years  to  give  Christ  a  cup  of  tea  when 


70 

he  comes  again.     Such  is  the  religious  muddle  and 
confusion  that  pervades  the  Holy  City. 

We  left  Jerusalem  at  5  p.  m.,  after  bidding  good- 
bye to  the  members  of  Section  A  of  our  party — who 
up  to  this  time  had  been  with  us,  and  started  in 
ambulances,  each  pulled  by  three  horses,  for  Ramalleh. 
After  a  two  hours  drive  through  a  rough,  stony  and 
mountainous  country  we  reached  Ramalleh  in  time 
for  supper.  Near  the  hotel  is  located  a  Quaker,  or 
Friends'  school  in  charge  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosenberger, 
formerly  of  Indiana,  but  more  recently  of  Iowa. 
After  supper  we  were  invited  to  visit  the  school,  where 
they  have  sixty  native  girls  and  forty  boys  being 
educated.  The  boys  had  gone  to  bed,  but  the  girls 
welcomed  us  with  several  songs  and  recitations  in 
English  and  Arabic.  They  sang  with  voices  of 
unusual  sweetness  and  harmony. 

March  23, — At  8  a.  m.  we  left  Ramalleh  over  a  fine 
government  road  through  a  rough,  mountainous  and 
highly  picturesque  country,  the  scenic  views  chang- 
ing with  panorama-like  suddenness.  The  country  is 
a  continuation  of  limestone  hills  and  ridges,  the  stone 
cropping  out  on  the  surface  and  seemingly  impossible 
of  cultivation,  and  yet  there  is  terrace  upon  terrace, 
each  bounded  by  a  stone  wall  enclosing  a  small  patch 
of  ground,  which  has  been  plowed  and  sowed  to  grain  or 
planted  to  olives  and  figs .  The  ground  is  infinitely  more 
stony,  the  soil  shallower  and  more  uninviting  looking 
than  our  California  foot-hill  stock  ranges,  and  yet 
these  people  eke  out  a  living  where  our  American 
farmer  would  starve.  Along  the  roadside  and  side- 
hills  are  many  very  old  olive  trees,  the  trunks  full  of 
holes  and  decay,  many  of  them  measuring  three  to 


71 

four  feet  in  diameter.  On  inquiry  as  to  why  every 
little  patch  of  ground  was  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall 
I  was  told  by  Mr.  Rosenberger  that  when  a  man  pur- 
chased a  piece  of  land  from  the  government,  if  he  did 
not  inmiediately  inclose  and  mark  its  boundaries 
with  a  stone  wall  the  government  would  reclaim 
and  take  possession  of  it.  As  our  trip  continued  the 
country  became  more  and  more  interesting  and 
many  of  the  views  superb.  We  passed  Shiloh,  where 
for  more  than  four  hundred  years  the  Tabernacle  and 
Ark  of  the  Covenant  rested,  and  where  the  prophet 
Eli  died;  passed  the  ancient  village  of  Lebonah,  and 
descending  abruptly,  with  many  snake-like  turns 
and  twists  of  the  road,  we  came  to  Jacobus  Well,  where 
all  the  party  alighted  and  walked  down  a  steep  hill 
to  see  it.  It  is  evidently  an  artificial  hole,  and  so  far 
from  being  a  living  spring  is  only  a  receptacle 
for  rain-water.  There  are  numerous  natural  springs 
in  this  vicinity,  and  they  naturally  raise  the  query 
why  Jacob  preferred  stale  rainwater  with  its  natural 
accompaniment  of  wigglers  to  good  fresh  springwater. 
It  was  at  this  well  that  Jesus  had  the  conversation 
with  the  Samaritan  woman  and  proclaimed  the 
spirituality  of  God.  The  well  is  surrounded  by  a 
high  stone  wall  and  belongs  to  the  Greek  Catholics. 
After  leaving  here  the  road  turns  sharply  to  the 
west  and  enters  the  beautiful  and — by  comparison 
with  the  preceding  country  through  which  we  have 
passed — fertile  valley  of  Shechem,  lying  between 
Mounts  Ebal  and  Gerizim.  Mount  Ebal  is  barren 
and  desolate  to  its  very  summit,  while  the  lower 
slopes  of  Gerizim  are  thickly  covered  with  the 
greenest  of  verdure  and  prosperous  looking  orchards, 
while  the  uncultivated  places  are  adorned  with  rich 


72 

and  variegated  masses  of  wild  flowers.  About  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  we  reached  Nablous  and 
stopped  at  a  beautiful  stone  hotel  of  the  same  name 
under  the  same  management  of  the  Hotel  Fast  at 
Jerusalem.  Nablous  is  a  city  of  twenty-four  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  almost  exclusively  Moslems,  and 
is  noted  for  its  numerous  soap  factories,  the  olives 
in  this  section  being  all  made  into  oil  or  soap  and 
not  pickled.  It  is  on  the  site  of  ancient  Shechem, 
one  of  the  oldest  cities  of  Palestine,  and  is  the  first 
city  of  the  Holy  Land  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  It 
was  at  Shechem,  according  to  the  story  of  the 
Patriarchs,  that  both  Abraham  and  Jacob  came,  on 
their  entrance  into  the  land  of  Canaan.  Some  one 
tells  the  story  of  a  young  woman  who  was  about  to 
visit  the  Holy  Land,  and  who,  before  her  departure, 
called  on  an  old  lady  friend  of  pronounced  orthodox 
views  and  told  her  she  hoped  soon  to  see  Jerusalem, 
Nazareth  and  other  noted  places  of  biblical  history. 
The  old  lady  removed  her  spectacles  and  looking  up 
with  mixed  wonder  and  incredulity  ejaculated:  ^' Well 
now!  I  knew  all  those  places  were  in  the  Bible,  but 
I  never  thought  of  their  being  on  earth.''  Such  as 
they  are,  however,  we  are  now  in  the  midst  of  them. 
Agriculture  here  is  still  of  the  most  primitive 
character.  The  plow  used  is  built  practically,  if  not 
exactly,  on  the  same  model  of  the  one  used  three 
thousand  years  ago.  It  is  so  light  that  the  husband- 
man going  to  the  field  carries  it  on  his  shoulder. 
It  has  but  one  handle,  upon  which  the  plowman 
presses  with  his  right  hand  to  prevent  its  jumping 
the  furrow.  A  Palestine  plow  team  is  frequently  a 
trinity  of  contrasts,  for  often  it  is  made  up  of  a 
camel,  a  donkey  and  a  woman,  driven  by  a  full- 


73 

grown,  healthy-looking,  well-fed  man.  A  landed 
proprietor  in  Palestine,  commonly  if  not  always, 
rents  or  leases  his  several  holdings  on  the  lottery 
plan.  In  other  words,  each  recmring  year,  the  appli- 
cants for  tenancy  are  assembled  and  a  small  boy  is 
utilized  to  draw  from  a  bag  filled  with  pebbles,  the 
pebbles  being  marked  with  numbers  corresponding 
to  the  numbers  of  the  plotted  land  tracts.  Each 
tenant  receives  a  pebble,  which  indicates  the  number 
of  his  tract,  and  this  is  the  land  he  must  cultivate 
for  the  ensuing  season,  regardless  of  whether  his  luck 
has  landed  him  upon  level  plain  of  strongest  fertihty 
or  upon  a  sloping  hillside  thickly  interspersed  with 
broken  fragments  of  limestone.  Eternal  vigilance 
seems  to  be  the  price  of  harvesting  or  preserving  the 
husbandman's  crop,  for  every  field  and  vineyard  is 
nightly  guarded  by  the  proprietor  or  a  hired  retainer, 
to  stand  off  the  predatory  incursions  of  his  neighbor- 
ing countrymen.  Nubians  of  jet  black  skin  and 
fearsome  aspect  are  largely  employed  for  this  service. 

March  24- — Left  Nablous  after  breakfast  and  pro- 
ceeded along  the  Jaffa  carriage  road,  which  is  a 
beautiful  macadamized  highway  and  winds  its  way 
like  a  great  yellow  serpent  over  hills  and  through 
valleys  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  fringed  by  small 
fields  of  grain  and  frequent  ouve  orchards,  most  of 
the  trees  being  of  immense  size  and  age.  Here  and 
there  we  encountered  small  mixed  orchards  of  peaches, 
apples,  pears  and  pomegranates,  but  the  trees  looked 
diseased  and  mangy.  Some  five  or  six  miles  from 
Nablous  we  left  the  carriages  and  climbed  a  long  hill 
to  the  site  of  ancient  Samaria,  long  the  capital  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Israel.    After  its  destruction  it  was 


74 

rebuilt  by  Herod,  who  erected  a  magnifieent  palace 
and  temple,  many  of  the  columns  of  which  are  still 
standing,  though  in  a  sad  state  of  dilapidation. 
From  this  site  a  most  entrancing  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  is  obtained.  Descending  the  hill 
from  the  other  side  we  came  at  the  foot  to  an  old 
aqueduct  and  reservoir,  the  latter  of  which  is 
alleged  to  be  on  the  site  of  the  pool  of  Samaria,  where 
the  blood-stained  chariot  of  Ahab  was  washed  after 
that  monarch's  violent  death.  In  this  connection 
it  is  well  to  note  that  on  the  hill  of  Samaria  is  an  old 
church  built  by  the  Crusaders,  and  also  one  of  the 
alleged  tombs  of  John  the  Baptist,  which  is  reached 
by  the  descent  of  twenty-five  narrow  steps  cut  in 
the  solid  rock.  After  resuming  our  carriages  for  a 
couple  of  miles,  we  stopped  at  the  village  of  Silet 
and  ate  our  lunch  under  the  shade  of  an  orchard  of 
fig  trees.  The  figs  were  green  and  only  about  one- 
third  grown,  yet  a  ragged  and  scantily  dressed  native 
woman  belonging  to  a  party  camped  a  few  yards 
beyond  us,  ascended  one  of  these  trees  like  a  wild 
ourang-outang  and  proceeded  to  devour  the  fruit  as 
fast  as  she  could  gather  it  with  both  hands.  It 
would  seem  as  if  nothing  but  long  continued  fasting 
and  nearly  approaching  starvation  could  account  for 
such  appetite  and  indulgence.  Continuing  our 
journey  through  a  country  of  similar  character  we 
reached  the  town  of  Jenin  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
afternoon  and  stopped  for  the  night. 

March  25. — Left  Jenin  shortly  after  breakfast  for 
the  drive  to  Nazareth.  Soon  after  leaving  we  entered 
the  beautiful  valley  of  Esdraelon.  For  three  or  four 
hours  we  drove  through  this  level  and  highly  fertile 


75 

plain,  encompassed  on  all  sides  by  beautiful  green 
fields  of  grain,  being  by  far  the  most  extensive  area 
of  rich  and  productive  soil  we  have  seen  since  leaving 
Egypt.  This  plain  is  said  to  have  been  the  great 
battlefield  of  Israel,  as  recorded  in  the  Bible.  As  we 
approached  the  end  of  the  valley  the  symmetrical 
and  rounded  form  of  Mount  Tabor  came  into  view. 
Turning  north  we  began  to  ascend  the  hillside,  but 
owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  road  we  descended 
from  the  carriages  and  walked  up  the  hill  for  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  and  then  resumed  our  ride.  As  we 
continued  to  ascend  the  view  of  the  valley  and  the 
country  at  large  became  more  and  more  expansive 
and  beautiful,  until  at  the  summit  a  picture  of  scenic 
beauty  lay  spread  before  us  the  equal  of  which  is 
seldom  seen  in  any  country.  Shortly  after  reaching 
the  summit  of  the  hill  we  stopped  to  eat  our  lunch 
and  rest  for  an  hour.  Resuming  our  journey,  we 
soon  came  in  sight  of  Nazareth  and  arrived  at  the 
Germania  Hotel  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon. 
After  half  an  hour  of  rest  we  visited  the  Greek  Church 
where,  underneath,  carved  out  of  the  solid  rock,  is  the 
supposed  work-shop  of  Joseph,  the  father  of  Jesus. 
From  there  we  passed  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
of  the  Ascension,  built  upon  the  foundation  and  ruins 
of  an  old  Crusader  Church,  and  witnessed  the  ser- 
vices and  the  administering  of  the  sacrament.  The 
residence  of  Joseph  and  Mary  is  alleged  to  be  under- 
neath the  church.  This  we  failed  to  see  because  of 
the  anger  of  the  priest  at  the  hesitation  of  some  of  the 
party  to  accede  to  his  demand  for  one  franc  each,  as 
an  admission  fee,  something  our  dragoman  said  had 
never  to  his  knowledge  been  demanded  before.  The 
streets  of  Nazareth  are  as  filthy,  and  the  people  are 


76 

as  disgustingly  dirty  and  ragged,  and  the  air  is  per- 
meated with  at  least  as  many  different  odors  as  Jeru- 
salem. I  have  a  sense  of  being  infested  with  fleas 
and  vermin  of  various  sorts,  especially  since  picking 
a  bed-bug  from  my  coat  sleeve  last  evening.  Oh, 
for  a  good  room  with  bath  once  more  at  a  good  Ameri- 
can hotel,  with  a  good  square,  wholesome  American 
meal!  Nothing  short  of  Paradise  would  furnish 
compensation  for  leaving  it.  When  one  sees  these 
poor,  impoverished  wretches,  with  scarcely  any 
clothes  to  wear,  and  stunted  and  emaciated  from 
perennial  starvation,  and  then  looks  upon  these  fat, 
wholesome,  well-groomed  and  sensual  looking  priests, 
who  are  absorbing  the  people's  slender  earnings  in  the 
name  of  Christianity,  and  under  fear  of  their  eternal 
damnation,  one  is  impelled  to  cry  shame  upon  the 
whole  rotten  system  of  robbery  and  deceit.  The 
whole  of  Palestine  is  cursed  and  robbed  by  a  set  of 
so-called  religious  brigands  of  sundry  Christian  and 
Mohammedan  sects,  who  play  upon  the  ignorance 
and  pitiful  fears  of  an  impoverished  and  degenerate 
people. 

Jesus  spent  his  early  life  at  Nazareth,  and  here  are 
shown  many  so-called  sacred  places.  There  is  a 
living  spring,  where,  as  of  old,  the  women  still  bring 
their  earthen  pitchers  or  jars  to  be  filled. 

March  26, — Resumed  our  journey  this  morning  for 
Tiberias,  on  the  lake  or  Sea  of  Galilee.  Passed 
through  a  country  similar  to  that  of  yesterday,  except 
that  it  became  gradually  more  stony  and  barren. 
Shortly  after  leaving,  we  passed  Mary's  well,  which 
is  now  used  as  a  general  washing  place  for  clothes  by 
the  surrounding  natives.     Here  is  also  a  French 


77 

hospital  and  a  Russian  mission.  On  reaching  the 
crest  of  the  hill  overhanging  Nazareth  there  is  opened 
to  the  eye  a  beautiful  and  expansive  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Mount  Hermon,  the  only  snow- 
capped peak  in  Palestine,  now  looms  up  in  the  dis- 
tance and  as  we  began  to  descend  rapidly  into  the 
valley,  and  after  stopping  on  the  way  to  eat  our  lunch, 
we  again  climbed  a  high  hill  from  which  we  could  see 
the  deep  depression  where  "the  blue  waves  roll 
nightly  o'er  deep  Gahlee.''  Descending  rapidly  a 
long  hill  by  a  tortuous,  serpentine  road,  we  reached 
Tiberias  in  mid-afternoon,  snuggHng  closely  to  the 
bank  of  the  lake.  Half  an  hour  after  our  arrival  we 
procured  boats  and  were  rowed  for  two  hours  to 
Capernaeum,  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  where  the  ruins 
of  an  old  Roman  temple  and  a  present  Catholic 
Church  were  inspected.  Returning,  we  sailed  back 
with  a  stiff  breeze,  had  our  dinner,  and  at  night 
attended  a  native  theater  or  dance  house. 

March  27. — We  were  called  at  5  a.  m.,  had  breakfast 
and  left  at  6  o'clock  in  sail  boats  on  the  Sea  of  Tiberias 
for  Semakh  the  railroad  station  at  the  foot  of  the 
sea  where  we  took  the  cars  for  Damascus.  The 
railroad  follows  up  the  valley  or  canon  of  Yarmuk 
River,  amidst  scenery  that  is  rarely  excelled  in  pic- 
turesqueness  and  often  rises  to  the  dignity  of  grand- 
eur. This  continues  for  the  first  three  or  four  hours 
of  the  trip.  At  one  point  as  we  ascended  the  grade 
a  very  high  wall  of  rock  arose  several  hundred  feet 
above  us,  and  pouring  over  the  topmost  cliff  there 
came  dashing  down  a  most  beautiful  waterfall. 
Wild  flowers  of  the  most  brilliant  and  variegated 
colors  strewed  the  roadside   and  fields  as  we  went 


78 

along,  and  notwithstanding  the  cramped  and  uncom- 
fortably filled  compartment  on  the  cars,  we  found  the 
ride  one  of  great  enjoyment.  Emerging  from  the 
canon,  we  entered  upon  the  broad  and  uninteresting 
plain  of  Hauran,  with  a  red  soil  very  much  resem- 
bling that  of  our  California  foot-hills.  It  is  largely 
sown  to  grain,  but  looked  as  if  six  to  eight  bushels 
per  acre  would  be  all  the  crop  that  could  be  expected. 
Shortly  after  entering  the  plain  of  Hauran,  we  had  a 
full  but  distant  view  of  snow-capped  Mount  Hermon. 
We  reached  Damascus — after  a  fine  lunch  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Dara — about  dark  and  were  driven  to  the 
Damascus  Palace  Hotel,  where  we  found  a  comfor- 
table sitting-room  and  a  fire  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  the  Laconia. 

March  28. — After  breakfast  we  entered  carriages 
for  a  drive  about  the  city.  We  wound  our  way 
through  narrow,  crooked  and  dirty  streets,  lined  with 
bazaars  or  shops  of  all  kinds,  similar  in  many  respects, 
but  not  nearly  so  attractive  as  those  of  Cairo. 
Alighting  from  the  carriages,  we  entered  the  brass- 
workers'  shops,  where  seven  hundred  boys  and  men 
are  employed  in  decorating  brass  vessels  of  every 
description.  The  sight  is  one  of  the  most  unique 
and  impressive  character.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
workers  were  children  ranging  from  six  to  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  the  skill  and  rapidity  with  which 
they  handled  their  tools  and  the  beauty  of  the 
designs  they  executed  upon  the  plain  brass  vessels 
were  little  less  than  marvelous.  They  are  paid  one 
franc  per  day  for  ten  hours'  work.  Here  also  they 
make  the  finest  carved  woodwork  inlaid  with  mother- 
of-pearl,  etc. 


79 

From  here  we  again  took  the  carriages,  visited  the 
house  of  Annanias,  the  Christian  disciple  who  healed 
Saul  of  his  blindness,  passed  the  mosque  of  the  Omei- 
yades  and  the  tomb  of  Saladin,  and  ascended  the  hill 
overlooking  the  city,  from  whence  there  is  a  broad 
and  most  beautiful  view  of  the  entire  city  and  the 
surrounding  plain. 

One  of  the  chief  glories  of  Damascus  is  the  River 
Abana  or  Barada,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  forty 
or  fifty  miles  northwest  of  the.  city  and  flows  in  a 
rushing  stream  right  through  the  heart  of  the  city, 
furnishing  an  abundant  and  perennial  supply  of 
cold  mountain  water.  The  River  Parphar,  although 
not  flowing  through  the  city,  passes  only  a  few  miles 
outside  the  walls  and  furnishes  a  copious  supply  of 
water  for  the  irrigation  of  the  fruitful  and  beautiful 
plain  that  stretches  for  miles  around  the  city.  Dogs 
are  maintained  here  as  scavengers.  There  being  no 
sewers,  the  slops  and  refuse  are  cast  into  the  street, 
and  these  otherwise  unfed  canines  fight  and  snarl 
and  yell  in  the  strenuous  struggle  that  ensues  for  the 
possession  of  the  titbits.  Likewise,  there  is  much 
less  begging  and  demand  for  backsheesh  here  than 
at  any  point  we  have  visited  since  our  first  landing  at 
Funchal.  The  waters  of  the  River  Barada  are  the 
object  of  an  unmeasured  pride  on  the  part  of  the 
natives.  They  are  commonly  vested  in  the  minds  of 
these  superstitious  and  credulous  people  with  mar- 
velous curative  functions,  especially  in  the  case  of 
preventing,  if  not  absolutely  curing,  leprosy.  It  is 
little  wonder  that  Naiman,  the  leper  of  biblical  fame, 
felt  a  sense  of  personal  injury  when  informed  that 
he  must  make  a  long  journey  and  dip  himself  seven 
times  in  the  Jordan,  when  there  was  such  a  superior 


80 

stream  within  his  immediate  reach.  Within  the  city 
Hmits  the  water  is  conducted  in  underground  channels 
or  pipes  to  nearly,  if  not  quite,  every  house,  really 
leaving  no  excuse  except  that  of  personal  inclination 
for  the  dirt  and  filth  that  characterize  every  house- 
hold within  and  without. 

March  29. — Left  Damascus  by  rail  about  8  o'clock. 
It  had  rained  the  night  before  and  still  showed  symp- 
toms of  being  showery.  For  the  first  few  miles  we 
passed  through  the  highly  cultivated  fields  and 
orchards  of  the  plain  of  Damascus,  then  gradually 
entered  the  canon  of  the  Barada  and  arose  rapidly 
through  the  wildest  and  most  picturesque  scenery 
to  a  height  of  forty-five  hundred  feet  at  Zerghaya. 
Along  the  first  two-thirds  of  the  thirty-six  miles  the 
narrow  valley  and  hillsides  are  lined  with  mulberry 
and  apple  orchards  and  vineyards,  the  vines  growing 
apparently  out  of  thickly  broken  rock  and  being 
trained  to  lie  fiat  along  the  ground.  After  reaching 
the  summit,  we  descended  at  a  heavy  grade  to  the 
station  of  R,ayak,  where  passengers  change  cars  for 
Baalbek.  Mrs.  R.  had  been  suffering  with  a  severe 
cold  that  caused  apprehension  of  pneumonia,  and  as 
the  weather  had  become  cold  and  threatening  we 
decided  to  continue  on  to  Bayrouth,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  party  visited  Baalbek.  Ascending 
rapidly  from  Rayak,  amidst  the  most  rugged  and 
beautiful  scenery,  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  ridge 
at  Ral-el-Baidar,  nearly  forty-nine  hundred  feefc  above 
sea  level,  amidst  as  fierce  a  snow  storm  as  you  would 
see  in  the  high  Sierras.  Descending  again  at  an 
almost  breath-taking  pace,  the  snow  soon  turned  to 
rain,  and  Httle  cascades  came  shooting  over  the  high 


81 

limestone  bluffs  into  the  valley  below,  like  silver 
threads  running  through  the  golden  or  carmine  warp 
and  woof  of  nature's  beautiful  oriental  rug.  We 
continued  to  descend  on  an  average  grade  of  over  two 
hundred  feet  per  mile  for  twenty  miles  to  Bayrouth, 
which  we  reached  the  latter  part  of  the  afternoon. 
The  scenery  throughout  the  entire  distance  is  wildly 
picturesque,  and  as  we  approached  our  destination 
we  came  into  a  view  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and 
the  modern  city  of  Bayrouth,  beautifully  esconced 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  stretching  along  its  rocky 
beach  for  a  mile  or  more.  Arriving,  we  took  a  car- 
riage for  the  Deutscher-Hof  Hotel ,  where  a  fine  room 
was  assigned  us  on  the  first  floor,  and  where  we  found 
at  dinner  the  first  meat  or  other  food  that  had  a 
natural  taste  since  leaving  the  Laconia.  After  dinner 
I  strolled  around  the  streets  sight-seeing,  but  found 
the  bazaars  nothing  to  compare  with  those  we  have 
seen  in  other  cities.  The  remainder  of  the  party 
arrived  about  midnight,  having  visited  Baalbek. 
Looking  eastward  from  the  sea-shore,  Bayrouth  is  con- 
fronted with  an  amphitheater  of  mountains,  clothed 
in  a  garment  of  bright  and  varied  colors,  shading 
from  the  light  green  of  the  grassy  meadow  in  the 
immediate  foreground  to  the  dark  bluish  green  of  the 
gnarled  and  rugged  pines  at  the  summit. 

Crags  and  chffs  of  dull  gray,  lively  yellow  and 
screaming  red  fill  the  eye  with  their  variety,  garnished 
as  they  are  by  lofty  towers  and  gloomy  monasteries, 
whose  forbidding  portals  are  reminiscent  of  days 
long  past.  Midway  between  the  valley  and  the 
summit,  thickly  dotting  the  lower  hillsides,  are  the 
white  and  shining  walls  of  numerous  villas,  each 
surrounded  by  a  tiny  garden  and  filled  here  and  there 
1677—6 


82 

with  an  olive,  an  apricot  and  a  peach  tree,  com- 
panioned by  a  few  cHmbing  vines,  gorgeous  in  their 
blossoms  of  deep  purple,  scarlet  and  yellow.  The 
houses  of  the  city  are  painted  in  bright,  oriental  taste, 
with  red-tiled  roofs  and  green  shutters,  and  at  a  dis- 
tance the  whole  landscape  presents  a  bright  and  fasc- 
inating appearance.  But  like  all  other  oriental  cities, 
close  inspection  dissolves  the  spell  and  dissipates  the 
glamour.  The  streets  are  narrow,  the  houses  and 
shops  infectious  with  filth  and  dirt,  and  the  odors 
bear  no  resemblance  to  sweet  myrrh  and  frankincense. 
A  stream  which  enters  the  sea  near  the  upper  end  of 
the  city  fringes  the  reputed  site  of  the  famous 
encounter  between  St.  George  and  the  dragon,  in 
which,  if  I  have  the  legend  straight,  he  rescued  a 
Syrian  princess,  and  if  you  have  any  doubt  on  the 
subject,  the  well  is  still  there,  where  he  washed  his 
hands  after  finishing  the  job. 

Here  ends  our  journey  through  Palestine.  While 
it  has  been  in  some  respects  fatiguing,  it  has  been 
full  of  interest  and  novelty,  if  such  a  word  can  be 
used  as  descriptive  of  a  civilization  and  customs 
hoary  with  antiquity.  The  seasons  in  Palestine 
correspond  closely  with  those  in  California. 
Toward  the  end  of  October  heavy  rains  begin  to  fall 
at  intervals,  for  a  day  or  several  days  at  a  time,  fol- 
lowing which  the  farmer  begins  his  plowing.  The 
rains  increase  in  volume  and  frequency  during 
December,  January  and  February,  and  then  gradu- 
ally decrease,  practically  ending  in  April.  During 
the  winter  snow  and  hail  frequently  fall  on  the  hills, 
but  rarely  in  the  valleys.  Their  summer  winds  are 
the  reverse  of  those  in  California,  the  south  wind 
being  the  hot  wind,  and  the  cool  breezes  coming  from 


83 

the  north.  They  have,  however,  at  times  an  east 
wind  called  sherkiyeh  or  sirocco.  It  comes  from 
the  desert  with  a  mist  of  fine  sand,  veiling  the  sun, 
scorching  vegetation  and  carrying  malaria  and  fever 
with  its  pestilential  breath.  Frequent  droughts  occur, 
sometimes  lasting  for  two  years,  and  causing  wide- 
spread famine  and  pestilence,  and  the  all-destroying 
locusts  fill  the  air  every  fifth  or  sixth  year.  Add  to 
this  the  frequent  recurrence  of  earthquakes,  and  there 
seems  no  controlling  reason  why  even  an  American 
Jew  should  be  filled  with  an  insatiable  desire  to 
migrate  to  the  Holy  Land.  There  is  no  turf  in  Pales- 
tine and  very  little  grass  that  lasts  through  the  sum- 
mer drought.  After  the  fall  rains  begin,  the  fields  and 
roadsides  spring  thick  with  grasses  and  wild  grains, 
clover,  lupins,  many  succulent  plants,  lilies,  anemones 
and  hosts  of  other  wild  flowers,  chief  among  which  is 
a  species  of  blood-red  poppy,  which  in  its  abundance 
and  attractive  beauty  rivals  our  California  esch- 
scholtzia. 

In  Palestine  there  is  every  climate  from  the  sub- 
tropical of  the  lower  end  of  the  Jordan  valley  to  the 
sub- Alpine  of  the  other  end.  There  are  palms  in 
Jericho  and  pine  forests  in  Lebanon.  In  the  depres- 
sion or  valley  of  the  lower  Jordan  the  summer  tem- 
perature climbs  far  above  the  hundred  mark,  and 
yet,  looking  to  the  northwest,  the  snowclad  fields 
of  Mount  Hermon  are  visible.  All  the  intermediate 
temperatures  between  these  extremes  are  within  the 
limits  of  human  vision  from  the  summit  of  Mount 
Carmel;  the  sands  and  palms  of  the  coast,  the  broad 
wheat  fields  of  Esdraelon,  the  oaks  and  sycamores  of 
Galilee,  the  pines,  the  peaks  and  the  snows  of  anti- 
Lebanon.    The   elevations   and   depressions   range 


84 

from  nine  thousand  feet  above  sea  level  to  thirteen 
hundred  feet  below.  Early  writers  describe  large 
forests  as  covering  considerable  portions  of  the  coun- 
try, but  if  they  ever  existed  they  have  long  since  dis- 
appeared in  that  section  of  the  country  west  of  the 
Jordan.  Fruit  trees  of  all  varieties  common  to  the 
temperate  zone  ought  to  flourish  here,  but,  so  far  as 
general  cultivation  goes,  the  olive  and  the  vine  take 
precedence  of  all  others.  A  few  apricot,  fig,  and  now 
and  then  a  peach  are  to  be  seen  along  the  roadside. 
Palestine  may  be  said  to  be  a  land  of  ruins.  No  part 
of  the  earth's  surface  has  been  scourged  more  fre- 
quently or  more  disastrously  by  the  contending  forces 
of  hostile  armies.  Ravaged  and  plundered  through- 
out the  centuries  by  Egyptians,  Persians,  Mace- 
donians, Saracens,  Moslems  and  crusading  Christians, 
each  of  whom  outvied  the  other  in  devilish  destruc- 
tiveness,  there  is  but  little  left  antedating  the  Chris- 
tian era  tending  to  show  the  character  or  the  achieve- 
ments of  its  earlier  civilization.  In  fact,  the  ruins  of 
the  multitude  of  fortresses  and  churches  built  later 
by  the  crusaders  are  practically  all  that  is  left,  and 
they  are  in  such  a  state  of  utter  demolition  and  dis- 
integration as  to  possess  little  interest  to  the  traveler. 
Josephus  and  other  early  historians  compel  us  to 
believe  that  the  country  was  far  more  thickly  popu- 
lated than  it  is  to-day,  but  if  that  is  true,  the  com- 
paratively small  area  of  fertility  must  have  been 
more  intensively  cultivated;  the  system  of  irrigation 
must  have  been  more  widely  and  ingeniously  extended, 
and  even  the  stony  and  barren  hillsides  must  have 
been  touched  with  the  miracle  of  productivity  to 
have  furnished  subsistence  for  so  numerous  a  people. 
Palestine  is  likewise  a  land  of  legends  and  these 


85 

legends  have  been  invented  and  multiplied  to  meet 
the  longings  of  the  credulous  and  superstitious  visitor. 
There  is  no  holy  place,  no  spot  made  sacred  by  the 
feet  of  the  Saviour,  that  is  not  pointed  out  to  you  by 
these  modern  Arab  guides  with  all  the  definiteness 
and  assurance  of  a  well  established  fact:  the  house 
of  the  holy  family  at  Nazareth;  the  holy  sepulchre  at 
Jerusalem;  the  spot  where  stood  the  angel  Gabriel 
at  the  annunciation;  the  three  several  spots  where 
three  several  times  John  the  Baptist  was  beheaded ;  the 
house  of  Jericho,  where  the  spies  of  Joshua  lodged; 
the  house  of  Simon  the  Tanner;  the  steep  place  where 
the  bedeviled  herd  of  swine  ran  violently  down  into 
the  sea  and  perished  in  its  waters,  and  so  on,  ad 
infinitum^  are  all  to  be  seen  if  one  is  willing  to  pay 
the  price  for  being  humbugged. 


March  SO. — After  an  early  stroll  along  the  beach 
had  breakfast  and  entered  carriages  for  the  boat. 
On  our  way  from  the  landing  to  the  ship  we  passed 
close  by  the  sunken  wreck  of  the  Turkish  gun 
boat  that  was  put  out  of  commission  about  three 
weeks  ago  by  the  Italian  fleet  in  its  attack  upon  Bay- 
reuth.  From  time  immemorial  I  have  read  and 
heard  of  the  phenomenally  blue  waters  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea,  especially  in  the  Bay  of  Naples,  but  until 
leaving  Bayreuth  this  morning  I  have  seen  nothing 
in  the  color  of  the  water  that  seemed  to  justify  the 
extravagant  descriptions.  But  as  we  steamed  out  of 
the  harbor  of  Bayreuth,  the  water  was  a  deep  indigo 
blue.  The  weather  is  mild  and  pleasant,  very  little 
wind,  and  the  water  smooth.  About  10  p.  m.  we 
passed  close  to  the  island  of  Cyprus. 


March  31. — A  bright  and  beautiful  morning — a 
smooth  sea  and  no  land  in  sight.  Our  vessel — 
the  Saghalien — is  a  pigmy  compared  with  the  La- 
conia,  has  few  conveniences  and  no  luxuries.  In 
case  of  stormy  weather  the  only  place  of  retreat 
would  be  our  small  and  inconvenient  state-rooms, 
with  the  option  of  standing  up  or  going  to  bed. 
Just  before  dark  we  entered  the  harbor  of  Rhodes, 
where  according  to  Herodotus  and  sundry  other 
ancient  historians,  once  stood  the  Colossus,  classed 
as  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  The  fate 
of  the  Colossus  is  shrouded  in  mystery,  and  no  rem- 
nants of  him  have  been  produced  to  prove  his  actual 
existence.  The  city  of  Rhodes  presents  a  pleasing 
appearance  from  the  vessel,  many  of  the  houses  being 
of  modern  construction.  In  fact,  the  only  evidence 
of  antiquity  manifest  from  a  distance  consists  in  por- 
tions of  the  old  stone  wall  and  fortifications  that  once 
surrounded  the  city.  After  unloading  and  taking  on 
some  freight  we  again  proceeded  on  our  way. 

April  1. — We  have  been  running  all  day  amidst  the 
Greek  archipelago,  with  numerous  islands  on  either 
side  of  us,  most  of  them  bold  and  rocky,  with  scattered 
patches  of  land  under  cultivation,  and  here  and  there 
a  grove  of  ohve  trees.  Small  villages  of  one-story 
houses  invade  the  landscape  at  intervals,  but  as  a 
whole  the  islands  seem  sparsely  populated.  The 
scenic  effect  as  we  glide  past,  with  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  beneath  as  calm  and  peaceful  as 
the  blue  heavens  above,  is  charming  and  impressive. 
Shortly  after  passing  the  island  of  Chios,  much  cele- 
brated in  the  Odes  of  Horace  for  its  wine,  we  turned 
sharply  to  the  east  and  entered  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna, 


87 

where  the  water  changes  in  color  from  blue  to  green, 
and  an  hour  later,  changing  our  course  sharply  to  the 
south,  we  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  city  of  Smyrna, 
stretching  from  the  water's  edge  far  back  and  up  the 
hillside,  with  its  modern  architecture  contrasting 
strongly  with  the  ancient  mud  ruins  of  most  of  these 
oriental  cities.  Shortly  before  entering  the  inner 
harbor,  a  Turkish  patrol-boat  came  out  and  guided 
us  through  a  winding  channel  to  avoid  the  torpedoes 
that  are  thickly  planted  as  a  means  of  preventing  the 
entrance  of  the  Italian  fleet.  A  number  of  dismantled 
vessels  were  also  anchored  across  the  harbor,  pre- 
paratory to  being  scuttled  and  sunk  as  obstructions 
in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  Itahan  fleet. 

April  2. — This  morning  our  party  went  ashore  and 
taking  carriages  drove  to  the  ancient  portion  of  the 
city,  which  is  built  upon  the  hillside,  back  from  the 
water's  edge.  As  we  ascended  the  hill  by  a  winding 
road  through  a  maze  of  old  dilapidated  one-story 
dwellings,  the  view  of  the  modern  city  and  the  harbor 
as  it  lay  spread  out  before  us  became  more  and  more 
fascinating.  At  the  top  of  the  hill  are  the  ruins  of  an 
old  castle  dating  from  the  Byzantine  period,  and 
forming  a  picturesque  background  to  the  city.  De- 
scending the  hill  we  drove  for  two  hoiu-s  through 
narrow  and  devious,  though  cleanly  streets,  con- 
stituting the  Greek,  Turkish  and  Armenian  quarters, 
visiting  the  beautiful  Greek  Cathedral  and  returning 
to  the  boat  for  lunch.  At  noon  we  again  went  ashore 
and  wended  our  way  on  foot  through  several  miles 
of  bazaars,  seeing  nothing  of  special  interest  and 
beauty  except  the  oriental  rugs  and  silks.  We 
passed  several  trains  of  camels,  the  animals  being 


88 

far  superior  in  size  and  less  filthy  and  fragrant  than 
any  we  have  heretofore  seen  in  Egypt  or  the  Holy 
Land.  These  camels  were  loaded  with  cotton,  grain, 
raisins,  figs,  and  many  other  fruits  with  which  the 
country  abounds.  We  had  witnessed,  by  the  way,  in 
the  back  streets  and  market  place,  workmen  packing 
these  figs,  and  if  ever  I  am  tempted  to  buy  and  eat 
another  package  of  figs,  it  will  be  only  after  I  have 
ascertained  by  careful  scrutiny  of  the  label  that  they 
were  packed  in  Oroville,  Fresno  or  some  other  clean 
and  disinfected  region  of  California  fig  culture. 
Nearly  all  day  a  stiff  breeze  has  been  blowing,  which, 
as  we  weighed  anchor  toward  evening  and  steamed 
out  of  the  harbor,  ripened  into  a  veritable  gale,  but 
as  it  was  blowing  off  shore  it  only  accelerated  our 
speed. 

April  3. — ^Just  before  breakfast  we  sighted  the 
entrance  to  the  Dardanelles,  where  we  were  forced  to 
await  for  several  hours  the  arrival  of  a  pilot-boat, 
in  order  to  avoid  being  blown  to  kingdom  come  by 
accidental  contact  with  some  of  the  submarine  tor- 
pedoes, which  are  said  to  be  lying  in  wait  for  the 
Italian  fleet.  Shortly  after  entering  the  strait  we 
passed  the  site  of  ancient  Troy,  of  which  nothing  is 
now  visible  except  a  small  hill.  Both  old  and 
recent  fortifications  are  in  sight  on  either  side  at 
various  points  along  the  shore.  Stopping  for  a  short 
time  abreast  of  the  city  of  Dardanelles,  we  saw  nine 
Turkish  men-of-war  with  modern  armor  and  arma- 
ment, discreetly  waiting  under  the  protecting  aegis  of 
heavy  shore  batteries,  for  the  anticipated  attack  of 
the  Italian  fleet.  The  strait  in  its  narrowest 
place  is  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide  and  could  be 


89 

rendered  absolutely  impassable  to  a  hostile  fleet  by 
properly  constructed  fortifications.  About  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  we  passed  from  the  Dardanelles  into 
the  Sea  of  Marmora,  reaching  Constantinople  about 
midnight  and  remaining  aboard  the  ship  until 
morning. 

April  4" — Arising  early  I  hastened  on  deck  to  get  a 
first  view  of  the  world-famed  Mohammedan  capital. 
Anticipation  had  been  extravagant  and  imaginative, 
but  now  reality  was  about  to  succeed  to  imagination. 
As  my  eyes  fell  upon  the  scene  before  me,  and  aided 
by  a  strong  pair  of  field  glasses,  took  in  the  whole  scope 
of  the  surrounding  landscape,  I  felt  that  Constan- 
tinople needs  no  overwrought  enthusiasm  of  the  artist 
in  colors,  no  eulogistic  word-painting  of  the  fanciful 
poet,  to  place  her  in  the  forefront  of  the  scenic 
beauties  of  the  world.  The  clear,  blue  sky,  the 
gleaming  waters  of  the  Golden  Horn  and  the  Helles- 
pont, the  amphitheatre  of  thickly  peopled  hills,  the 
delicate  and  graceful  minarets  piercing  the  sky  like 
great  needles,  the  rounded  domes  of  the  five  hundred 
mosques,  and  the  massive  walls  of  the  stately  palaces 
and,  above  all,  its  surpassing  novelty,  made  the  scene 
one  long  to  be  remembered.  At  every  recurring 
glance,  some  new  vista  of  gleaming  towers,  gilded  and 
burnished  by  the  morning  sun,  met  the  view.  After 
breakfast  we  left  the  boat  and  in  carriages  proceeded 
to  the  Hotel  Bristol,  from  which  an  hour  later  we 
resumed  the  carriages  for  a  drive  to  various  points  of 
interest.  The  weather,  which  had  changed  during 
the  night,  became  very  much  colder  and  a  drizzling 
rain  set  in,  rendering  the  situation  very  uncom- 
fortable.   But,  encased  in  all  our  heavy  wraps,  we 


90 

managed  to  get  along  without  serious  inconvenience. 
Our  first  stop  was  at  the  museum,  a  large  and  hand- 
some building  literally  filled  wth  rare  specimens  of 
ancient  Greek  and  Roman  sculpture,  among  which 
the  tomb  of  Alexander  the  Great,  exhumed  by 
Schleiman  at  Sidon,  is  a  marvel  of  artistic  and  beau- 
tiful sculpture  in  marble;  also  the  sarcophagus  of  the 
mourning  women  and  the  satrap's  coffin  are  of  the 
highest  order.  Two  large  rooms  are  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  Greek  and  Roman  sculptures  and  another 
to  Babylonian  and  Assyrian  antiquities.  Still  another 
large  compartment  is  filled  with  the  most  exquisite 
specimens  of  modern  art,  consisting  of  presents  from 
the  various  rulers  and  nations  to  the  late  deposed 
Sultan,  and  which,  upon  his  abdication,  were  taken 
from  his  palace  and  placed  in  the  museum.  Leaving 
the  museum  we  proceeded  to  the  famous  Mosque  of 
St.  Sophia,  the  largest  and  most  important  in  the 
city.  Originally  erected  by  the  Emperor  Constan- 
tino as  a  Christian  Church,  it  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  again  by  war,  and  was  successively  rebuilt  by  the 
Emperors  Theodosius  and  Justinian,  and  finally  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  conquering  Mohammedans, 
was  converted  into  a  mosque.  Much  of  the  original 
mosaic  work  of  the  Christian  builders  was  painted 
over  and  destroyed  by  the  Mohammedans .  The  chief 
beauty  of  the  mosque  lies  in  the  massive  and  sym- 
metrical dome,  which  is  supported  by  two  half-domes 
and  four  massive  pillars,  and  rises  to  a  height  of 
nearly  two  hundred  feet.  Looking  up  to  this  stu- 
pendous dome,  resting  in  gloomy  grandeur  upon  the 
towering  strength  of  the  sweeping  columns,  the 
impression  is  one  of  delighted  wonder  and  deep  solem- 
nity.    The  exterior  of  the  building  is  less  imposing 


91 

owing  to  the  enormous  piers  reared  against  it  as  a  guard 
against  earthquakes,  yet  the  four  minarets  in  their 
lofty  and  dehcate  beauty  reheve  the  heaviness.  Our 
next  point  of  interest  was  the  Mosque  of  Ahmed  I, 
which  is  the  only  one  outside  of  Mecca  that  contains 
six  minarets.  Its  chief  beauty  consists  of  the  white 
marble  lining  of  its  lower  walls  and  the  exquisite  blue 
fayence  tiling  above,  reaching  to  the  ceiling.  Leav- 
ing here  we  proceeded  to  the  bazaars  and  alighting 
from  oiu"  carriages  walked  for  an  hour  and  a  half 
through  an  apparently  endless  arcade  of  shops  of 
every  imaginable  character.  While  they  are  per- 
haps more  extensive  than  at  any  other  place  we  have 
visited,  they  did  not  impress  me  as  being  anything 
like  as  typical  and  oriental  in  their  display  of  wares  as 
the  bazaars  of  Cairo  or  Jerusalem. 

April  5. — This  morning  we  drove  across  the  bridge 
spanning  the  Golden  Horn,  visiting  first  the  Mosque 
of  Bayazid,  or  as  it  is  commonly  called,  the  pigeon 
mosque.  Here  the  distribution  of  a  few  handfuls  of 
grain  summons  thousands  of  pigeons  of  beautifully 
tinted  plumage,  but  the  mosque  in  itself  is  unattrac- 
tive. Passing  from  here  we  next  visited  the  Mosque 
of  Suliman  the  Great,  noted  as  being  internally  the 
most  beautiful  in  the  city.  Its  original  decorations 
which  were  elaborately  beautiful,  are  sadly  marred 
by  the  striped  painting  done  about  fifty  years  ago, 
but  there  is  much  elegant  blue  fayence  tiling  and  the 
most  exquisite  windows  of  Persian  stained  glass  that 
we  have  yet  seen.  Driving  from  here  we  proceeded 
to  the  tower  of  Galata,  a  circular  monument  rising 
to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  marking 
the  spot  where  the  new  walls  of  Galata  met  on  the 


92 

east  and  west  side  in  the  fourteenth  century.  CHmb- 
ing  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  more  winding  steps 
that  lead  to  the  top,  we  gazed  out  upon  the  magnif- 
icent capital  of  the  Mohammedan  world,  spread  Hke 
a  beautiful  painting  at  our  very  feet,  the  deep  green 
and  blue  waters  of  the  historic  Bosphorus  and  its 
right  arm,  the  Golden  Horn,  being  flecked  and  dotted 
and  ruffled  with  innumerable  water  craft  of  every 
description,  from  the  great  ocean  liner  to  the  tiniest 
row-boat. 

The  world  does  not  perhaps,  in  all  its  wide  and  won- 
derful expanse,  offer  a  safer,  more  easily  defended  or 
more  picturesquely  beautiful  site  for  a  great  city  than 
here  lies  before  us.  Descending  from  the  tower,  we 
proceeded  to  the  vicinity  of  the  palace  of  the  Sultan's 
mother,  where  the  present  Sultan  repairs  on  Friday 
at  noon  to  offer  his  prayers.  We  reached  the  open 
area  near  the  mosque  and  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
great  ruler  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  people. 
Presently  a  troop  of  soldiers  in  yellowish-green  khaki, 
marching  with  measured  tread,  halted  and  fined  up  on 
one  side  of  the  street.  Another  and  yet  another  bat- 
tafion  of  infantry  followed,  forming  a  line  on  either 
side  of  the  roadway.  Following  these  a  squadron  of 
mounted  lancers,  each  lance  bearing  a  small  red 
Turkish  flag  lined  up  on  both  sides,  reaching  from  the 
main  gate  of  the  Sultan's  palace  to  their  point  of  junc- 
tion with  the  line  of  infantry.  After  an  hour's  wait- 
ing a  signal  was  heard  and  the  Sultan's  carriage  was 
seen  coming  out  of  the  palace  gate.  Preceding  him 
came  a  mounted  guard  of  twenty-five  men,  uni- 
formed in  fight  blue  coats,  the  skirts  lined  wih  crim- 
son and  crimson  bands  around  each  sleeve,  blue 
trousers  with  a  broad  red  stripe  down  the  side  and 


93 

drawn  sabers  held  at  a  carry-arms.  A  mounted 
guard  of  like  numbers  followed  behind  the  carriage. 
The  Sultan's  carriage  in  model  was  nothing  out  of  the 
ordinary  except  that  it  was  somewhat  elaborately 
ornamented  with  gilt  and  was  drawn  by  two  large 
fine  roan  horses.  In  person  he  is  a  large,  heavy 
featured  man  with  very  white  whiskers  and  mustache, 
and  a  complexion  almost  tallow-like  in  its  paleness. 
His  mien  was  sober  and  almost  stolid.  Only  once 
did  he  raise  his  head  and  mechanically  salute  the 
commanding  officer  of  his  guard  as  he  passed  him. 
As  he  came  riding  down  between  the  lines  of  soldiers, 
he  was  greeted  with  perfunctory  cheers,  but  no  voice 
of  welcome  or  enthusiasm  came  from  the  surrounding 
crowd  of  civilians.  As  soon  as  the  Sultan  had  entered 
the  mosque,  the  crowd  broke  in  all  directions  and  we 
rapidly  drove  to  the  monastery  of  the  whirling  der- 
vishes, where,  after  waiting  an  hour,  we  were  admitted 
upon  payment  by  our  dragoman  of  five  piastres  each 
to  witness  the  performance.  The  exhibition  was  a 
distinct  disappointment.  Arranged  around  a  circular 
room  were  seated  some  twenty-five  solemn- visaged 
men  arrayed  in  loose  robes,  and  wearing  a  tall  brown 
sugar-loaf  shaped  fez.  Presently  a  high-keyed  voice 
in  the  gallery  began  a  low  monotonous  chant,  grad- 
ually increasing  in  volume  and  continuing  without 
further  demonstration  for  fifteen  minutes.  At  its 
conclusion  there  began  the  sound  as  of  an  ama- 
teur player  on  the  flute,  which  continued  in 
monotonous  discord  for  another  period  of  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  Then  the  solemn  circle  of  dervishes 
arose  in  unison  and  slowly  circling  around  the  room, 
each  one  as  he  reached  a  point  opposite  the  chief 
priest,  turning  and  solemnly  bowing  to  the  one  next 


94 

following  him,  who  in  turn  repeated  the  salute.  This 
continued  for  another  five  minutes,  when  suddenly 
all  discarded  their  shoes  and  outer  wraps  and  at  a 
whispered  word  from  the  chief  priest  began  one  after 
the  other  to  whirl  round  and  round  slowly  and  con- 
tinually, gradually  increasing  their  speed  until  the 
skirts  of  their  long  loose  garments  stood  out  almost 
straight  horizontally.  How  long  this  continued  is 
unknown,  as  ten  minutes  of  it  was  sufficient  to  satisfy 
our  curiosity,  tempered  as  it  was  by  a  fiercely  increas- 
ing appetite  for  lunch,  which  had  been  awaiting  us 
at  the  hotel  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  Returning  to  the 
hotel  we  packed  our  baggage  and  drove  to  the  boat, 
sailing  an  hour  before  dusk  on  the  Lloyd-Austrian 
steamer  Leopolis  for  Athens.  Of  all  the  peoples  we 
have  seen  in  these  oriental  regions  the  Turks  are  the 
cleanest,  handsomest,  most  intelligent  and  self- 
respecting.  The  cleanliness  of  the  streets  in  Con- 
stantinople was  a  surprise  and  was  in  distinct  con- 
trast with  the  filthiness  of  those  we  found  without 
exception  in  other  Mohammedan  cities.  I  suppose 
it  is  attributable  to  the  reform  measures  inaugurated 
by  the  '^ Young  Turk''  administration. 

The  numberless,  ownerless  street  dogs  that  were 
wont  to  perform  the  office  of  city  scavengers  have 
been  banished  to  one  of  the  adjacent  islands,  and  in 
their  places  are  to  be  seen  numerous  men  with  stiff 
brooms,  carefully  and  continuously  sweeping  and 
gathering  up  the  refuse  and  animal  droppings,  much 
after  the  manner  in  American  cities.  The  streets  are 
all  paved  with  granite  blocks,  some  of  which  in  the 
older  and  less  frequented  parts  of  the  city  are  very 
rough  and  sadly  in  need  of  repair.  In  fact  as  to  most 
of  the  streets  it  can  only  in  truth  be  said  they  are 


95 

paved  with  good  intentions.  No  asphalt  pavements 
are  yet  in  evidence,  and  telephones  and  electric  Hghts 
are  alike  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  Dishonesty 
in  all  lines  of  business  is  all  pervading.  From  the 
hotel-keeper  to  the  smallest  shopman,  no  oppor- 
tunity is  wasted  to  ^^short  change' '  the  unwary  or 
inexperienced  purchaser.  There  is,  however,  an 
almost  total  absence  of  the  universal  cry  for  back- 
sheesh that  has  filled  our  ears  at  every  point  in  our 
progress  from  Funchal  to  Damascus.  The  Turkish 
porters,  like  most  of  their  oriental  brethren  of  similar 
occupation  in  Egypt  and  Palestine,  are  marvels  of 
strength  and  endurance.  Slung  to  their  backs  is  a 
padded  bag  or  cushion  as  a  protection  from  bruise  or 
abrasion,  and  often  have  I  seen  one  of  them  with  head 
and  back  bent  almost  to  a  level  v/ith  his  knees,  car- 
rying a  full-sized  lady's  trunk,  a  large  leather  suit- 
case and  a  hand-bag,  while  in  one  hand  would  be 
borne  a  well-loaded  canvas  carryall  and  in  the  other 
two  or  three  canes  and  umbrellas.  For  carrying  such 
a  load  a  distance  in  many  instances  of  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  he  feels  richly  compensated  with  the  con- 
tribution of  the  equivalent  of  an  American  quarter  of 
a  dolla^r.  The  Turks  are  a  curiously  irrational  people. 
They  are  all  solemn  fatalists.  In  their  view  it  makes 
no  difference  whether  sanitary  measures  are  taken 
to  prevent  disease  or  not.  If  one's  time  has  come 
to  die,  quarantine  will  not  save  him;  if  it  has  not 
come,  cholera  v/on't  kill  him,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  all 
this,  they  have  widely  prevalent  quarantine  regula- 
tions, though  I  surmise  these  have  been  brought  about 
more  through  the  fear  of  losing  the  harvest  of  Euro- 
pean and  American  travel  than  from  any  gleam  of 
light  that  has  penetrated  their  religious  darkness. 


96 

April  6. — All  day  we  have  been  steering  a  south- 
westerly course  through  the  Aegian  sea,  passing  the 
islands  of  Mitylene  and  Skyros.  The  weather  has 
gradually  moderated  and  the  water  is  smooth  and 
well  behaved.  The  sun  went  down  behind  the  hills 
of  Euboeia  with  full  notice  that  there  would  shortly 
follow  a  panorama  such  as  human  artist  never  painted. 
Five  minutes  after  the  god  of  day  had  hidden  his 
golden  face  behind  the  rugged  mountain,  a  belt  of 
volcanic  fire  shot  athwart  the  western  sky,  sending 
pointed  spears  of  flame  far  out  into  the  northern  and 
southern  horizon;  immediately  above  appeared  a 
heavy  band  of  lilac  purple,  superimposed  by  a  narrow 
ribbon  of  magenta,  interspersed  here  and  there  by 
divers  oases  of  lemon  yellow.  Still  above  this  was 
a  long  narrow  belt  of  robin's  egg  blue,  and  in  con- 
tinued succession  a  strip  of  carmine  dominated  by  a 
wider  band  of  royal  purple,  a  heavy  cord  of  light 
orange,  a  mixed  bank  of  mahogany,  dark  purple  and 
blue-black  and  then  as  a  final  wind-up,  the  entire 
horizon  became  overspread  with  a  broad  blaze  as 
from  the  bottomless  pit,  gradually  fading  into  dull 
gray  as  the  shades  of  night  closed  the  scene. 

April  7. — Came  on  deck  at  6  a.  m.,  and  found  we 
were  just  about  steaming  into  the  harbor  of  Piraeus. 
A  Grecian  man-of-war  lay  at  anchor  decorated  with 
all  her  bunting  in  honor  of  Easter  Sunday.  Numer- 
ous other  vessels  crowded  the  anchorage  and  the  city 
presented  a  quite  modern  appearance,  a  number  of 
tall  chinmeys  indicating  quite  a  manufacturing  indus- 
try of  some  kind.  After  landing  and  a  detention  of 
half  an  hour  at  the  customs  house  we  took  carriages 
and  drove  over  a  fine,  smooth  macadamized  road  to 


97 

Athens.  The  road  was  lined  with  a  double  row  of 
pepper  trees  that  looked  stunted,  sickly  and  almost 
without  foliage.  An  hour's  drive  brought  us  to  our 
hotel — the  Palace — where  we  found  that  owing  to  an 
educational  convention  now  in  session  our  pre-engaged 
rooms  had  all  been  turned  over  to  the  delegates  and 
our  director  was  obliged  to  scatter  us  in  various  third 
rate  hostelries.  While  our  baggage  was  being 
adjusted  we  took  a  walk  about  the  city  and  wound  up 
at  the  King's  palace,  where  we  listened  to  a  Lutheran 
church  service  and  saw  the  King  and  Queen  as  they 
came  out  of  church. 

April  8. — After  breakfast  we  entered  carriages  and 
were  driven  first  to  the  Stadium  or  Greek  theatre. 
This  is  situated  in  a  natural  basin  or  depression  and 
was  originally  planned  by  Lycurgus  some  three  hun- 
dred years  B.  C.  The  present  building  is  the  gift 
of  a  wealthy  Greek  citizen.  It  is  oval  in  shape,  the 
seats  being  of  marble  and  ranged  one  row  above 
another,  with  an  amphitheatre  in  the  center.  The 
effect  is  very  beautiful  and  the  seating  capacity  is 
nearly  fifty  thousand.  The  approach  is  guarded  by 
a  gateway  supported  by  Corinthian  columns  of  terra- 
cotta which  are  soon  to  be  supplanted  by  marble. 
From  the  Stadium  we  drove  to  the  ruins  of  the  Olym- 
pieion,  Hadrian's  Arch,  the  Monument  of  Lysikrates, 
the  theatre  of  Dionysius,  the  Odeion  of  Herodes 
Atticus,  temple  of  Aesculapius,  the  Areopagus,  the 
Acropolis,  including  the  Prophylaea,  Erechtheon  and 
Parthenon,  full  descriptions  of  which  are  found  in  a 
hundred  different  volumes  on  Greece.  This  being 
Easter  Monday,  is  a  Greek  national  holiday,  and  the 
streets  and  parks  are  full  of  people  in  holiday  attire, 
1677—7 


98 

and  all  places  of  business  are  closed.  In  the  evening 
there  was  music  by  the  National  band  and  a  grand 
torchhght  procession.  But  the  crowning  glory  of  the 
evening  was  the  fireworks  and  illumination  of  the 
Parthenon  and  Erechtheon.  Fixed  cylinders  con- 
taining Greek  fire  had  been  placed  at  frequent  inter- 
vals throughout  both  buildings.  At  9  o'clock  the 
firing  of  skyrockets  began  from  Acropolis  hill  and  half 
an  hour  later  the  cylinders  of  Greek  fire  were  hghted. 
In  an  instant  both  temples  were  aflame  and  their 
columns  were  sharply  outlined  against  the  sky.  At 
first  the  outside  of  the  temples  were  of  a  vivid  green, 
while  the  inside  was  a  sheet  of  blazing  red;  gradually 
the  colors  were  reversed  and  the  outside  became 
sheathed  in  the  flames  of  a  consuming  conflagration, 
while  the  inside  took  on  the  deep  shading  of  green. 
Four  times  in  succession  was  this  reversing  of  colors 
maintained,  lasting  in  all  a  full  half  hour,  and  then  the 
fire  died  down  and  the  beautiful  ruins  sank  into  the 
obscurity  of  night.  Never  have  I  seen  anything  in 
the  nature  of  fireworks  or  illumination  that  impressed 
me  so  deeply  with  its  beauty  and  grandeur.  This 
afternoon  we  were  moved  from  our  disagreeable 
quarters  in  the  Palace  Hotel  annex  to  more  comfort- 
able lodgings  in  the  Continental  Hotel. 

April  9. — During  the  morning  we  drove  to  the 
principal  cemetery  of  ancient  Athens.  The  ceme- 
tery has  been  excavated  and  most  of  the  monuments 
and  sarcophagi  have  been  removed,  but  a  number  of 
the  more  durable  monuments  dating  from  four  hun- 
dred to  three  hundred  B.  C.  have  been  left  in  their 
original  positions.  From  here  we  visited  the  National 
Archaeological  Museum,  containing  an  endless  coUec- 


99 

tion  of  statuary,  implements,  personal  adornments 
and  other  objects  of  Grecian  antiquity,  sufficient  to 
confuse  the  mind  and  paralyze  the  memory.  After 
driving  through  the  bazaars,  which  here  are  trifling  in 
extent  compared  with  those  we  have  hitherto  seen, 
we  returned  to  our  hotel,  but  after  lunch  we  again 
entered  the  carriages  for  a  two  and  one-half  hours 
drive  to  the  ruins  of  Eleusis,  where,  although  there 
are  some  extensive  and  somewhat  interesting  ruins, 
we  did  not  feel  fully  repaid  for  the  long  and  tiresome 
drive. 

April  10, — Following  an  early  call  for  breakfast  we 
marshaled  our  luggage  and  left  on  the  train  for 
Corinth.  The  country  between  Athens  and  Corinth 
is  poor  and  thin  in  soil,  but  every  available  inch  is 
under  cultivation.  In  many  places  wheat  is  sown 
on  land  covered  with  loose  stones  the  size  of  one's  fist 
and  apparently  as  thick  as  the  fresh  piles  of  broken 
rock  upon  a  macadamized  road.  Just  before  reach- 
ing Corinth  we  came  in  view  of  the  Corinth  ship  canal, 
cut  across  the  isthmus  of  Corinth  and  uniting  the 
Gulf  of  Corinth  with  the  Bay  of  Salamis.  The  canal 
forms  a  perpendicular  cut  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  deep  and  seventy-five  feet  wide  and  carries 
twenty-six  feet  of  water.  Arriving  at  modern  Corinth 
we  entered  carriages  and  drove  to  ancient  Corinth, 
where  we  visited  some  rather  inconsequential  ruins, 
and  a  small  museum  of  antiquities  excavated  by  the 
American  school.  After  lunch  amidst  the  ruins  we 
mounted  mules  and  took  the  trail  for  Aero  Corinth. 
This  is  a  massive,  almost  perpendicular  rock,  rising 
nineteen  hundred  feet  above  the  plain.  A  winding 
trail  leads  up  to  the  foot  of  the  fortifications,  thence 


100 

we  ascended  on  foot  for  half  or  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  inside  the  fortifications  to  the  summit.  The 
upper  half  of  the  giant  rock  is  surrounded  by  a  mas- 
sive stone  wall  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length, 
entrance  to  which  is  through  a  succession  of  three 
massive  gates.  It  reminds  one  of  the  impregnable 
fortress  of  Gibraltar,  and  the  view  from  the  summit 
is  one  of  imposing  grandeur.  We  could  see  the  hills 
of  Argolis;  the  country  of  Agamenmon  and  Mount 
Parnassus  and  Helicon  were  clearly  visible,  while  the 
Saronic  Gulf  and  the  Gulf  of  Corinth  mingled  their 
beautifully  blue  waters  with  the  green  and  brown 
tints  of  the  surrounding  hills. 

Leaving  Corinth  for  Patras  we  passed  through  a 
plain  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  covered 
in  great  part  with  vineyards  and  olive  orchards.  We 
reached  Patras  after  dark,  encountering  a  severe  rain 
storm  en  route,  had  our  dinner  at  the  hotel  and  imme- 
diately after  repaired  to  the  ship  Scylla  bound  for 
Brindisi.  Looking  back  to  my  youthful  days  I  call 
to  mind  no  historical  readings  that  were  as  full  of 
interest,  so  intensely  absorbing  and  that  so  grappled 
the  memory  with  lasting  impressions  as  the  annals  of 
ancient  Greece.  Preceding  the  period  of  authenticity 
is  a  rich  stream  of  mythological  tradition,  dealing 
with  giants  and  cyclops;  with  heroes  and  heroines 
engaged  in  mighty  struggles  with  monsters  of  the 
plain  or  vasty  deep;  with  distant  voyages  and  peril- 
ous adventures  in  search  of  rumored  treasures  or  in 
the  redress  of  injustice  and  wrong.  The  siege  of  Troy, 
the  retreat  of  Xenophon,  the  defence  of  Thermopylae, 
the  defeat  of  Xerxes,  and  destruction  of  his  fleet  at 
Salamis;  the  great  victory  over  Darius  at  Marathon; 


101 

the  final  triumph  over  the  Persian  invaders  at  Platea, 
the  Peloponnesian  War  and  the  all  pervading  vic- 
tories of  Alexander  the  Great,  are  events  in  Greek 
history  that  every  school-boy  read  with  almost  bated 
breath.  But  these  military  glories  and  achievements 
have  passed  like  an  iridescent  dream.  To-day  her 
philosophy,  her  architecture,  and  her  sculptors'  art 
are  in  ruins;  her  people  are  steeped  in  ignorance,  and 
yet  the  traveler  who  is  familiar  with  her  ancient  his- 
tory and  glories  feels  in  the  atmosphere  and  sees  in  her 
plains  and  mountains  a  recrudescence  of  all  the  old 
stories  of  his  school  days.  Physically,  Greece  is  now 
what  it  ever  has  been,  a  country  where  the  self- 
asserting  rock  is  ever  thrusting  its  barrenness  through 
a  thin  plating  of  miserly  soil.  Barbarians  of  various 
names  have  conspired  to  reduce  the  architectural 
grandeur  of  Greece  to  crumbUng  and  scattered  ruins 
and  to  dim  the  splendor  of  her  intellectual  achieve- 
ments, but  there  still  lives  through  the  remnant 
records  of  the  vanished  centuries,  the  philosophy,  the 
art  and  the  wisdom  of  Pericles,  Phidias,  Socrates, 
Plato  and  Solon. 

April  IL — After  lying  in  the  harbor  all  night  our 
ship  sailed  at  6  a.  m.  for  Brindisi.  The  storm  of  the 
previous  day  had  left  the  sea  rather  rough  and  shortly 
after  lunch  we  struck  out  into  the  open  ocean.  In 
fifteen  minutes  the  entire  company  of  passengers  were 
as  sick  as  a  lot  of  poisoned  pups.  The  vessel  was 
small  and  the  waves  tossed  her  about  hke  a  cork. 
I  was  able  to  get  in  bed  with  all  my  clothes  on  and  was 
content  to  remain  there  without  further  activity  all 
day  and  all  night  throughout  the  weary  sleepless 
hours. 


102 

April  12. — Arrived  at  Brindisi  and  reached  the 
shore  after  an  exceedingly  Hght  breakfast,  driving 
directly  to  the  railroad  station,  where  we  boarded 
the  cars  for  Naples.  The  route  at  first  skirts  for 
several  hours  in  a  northerly  direction,  following  closely 
the  coast  of  the  Adriatic  Sea,  through  a  country  that 
is  almost  one  continuous  vineyard  and  orchard  of 
almonds  and  olives.  The  soil  is  red,  thin  and  stony, 
and  yet  every  square  foot  of  it  that  by  any  possibility 
can  be  made  to  produce  a  crop,  however  meagre,  is 
brought  under  cultivation.  Everywhere  you  see 
great  piles  of  stones  that  year  after  year  for  genera- 
tions have  been  garnered  from  the  fields  and  every 
field  is  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall  as  the  result 
of  annual  crops  gathered  from  time  immemorial. 
No  American  farmer  would  dare  to  think  of  utilizing 
such  soil  for  anything  but  grazing  stock  for  a  few 
months  in  the  spring  and  early  summer.  At  Foggia, 
or  a  little  before  reaching  there,  the  road  strikes 
across  the  country  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  and 
for  a  while  passes  through  a  level  plain  devoted  largely 
to  vines  and  ohves,  gradually  superseded  by  broad 
wheat  fields,  which  continue  until  the  foothills  of  the 
Apennines  are  reached,  where  the  chief  industry 
appears  to  be  sheep  and  goat  raising.  Here  darkness 
overtook  us  and  we  saw  nothing  more  of  the  country, 
reaching  Naples  shortly  before  midnight  and  driving 
at  once  to  the  Hotel  Metropole. 

April  13. — Spent  the  day  quietly  resting  at  the 
hotel  except  for  a  short  walk  of  observation  among  the 
stores  and  a  drive  up  on  the  hill  from  which  a  com- 
manding view  of  the  city  and  bay  was  obtained.  In 
the  course  of  these  perambulations  I  learned  one 


103 

thing,  that  in  Italy  nobody  in  rendering  you  a  service 
is  satisfied  with  the  exact  compensation  agreed  upon 
between  you  beforehand.  Everyone  expects  some- 
thing additional  at  the  end  as  an  indication  that  you 
are  satisfied  with  him.  If  you  hire  a  guide  to  escort 
you  to  and  through  places  of  interest  at  a  prescribed 
rate  of  one  dollar  a  day  he  will  expect  and  insist  at  the 
end  of  the  day  upon  having  what  he  calls  a  "buonos 
manos"  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  cents  in  addition  to 
the  contract  price.  If  you  take  a  short  ride  in  a  taxi- 
cab,  for  which  the  registered  fare  amounts  to  one  lire 
or  twenty  cents,  the  driver  expects  an  additional  two 
to  four  cents  with  which  to  get  a  glass  of  wine  or  a  dish 
of  macaroni,  and  in  like  proportion  you  are  expected 
to  tip  the  barber  after  paying  the  regulation  price  for 
a  shave.  Good  humor  and  good  spirits  seem  to  be 
epidemic.  Even  the  black-eyed,  barefooted  street 
urchins,  who  tell  you  they  have  had  nothing  to  eat 
for  two  days  as  they  beg  you  for  five  centissimi,  equal 
to  one  cent,  are  convulsed  with  laughter  even  though 
you  refuse,  and  dart  off  turning  the  most  agile  cart- 
wheels down  the  narrow  street.  Cows  and  goats  are 
driven  from  door  to  door,  there  to  furnish  their  cus- 
tomers with  milk.  The  goats  especially  form  a  pict- 
uresque element  and  Nanny  is  a  remarkably  intelli- 
gent creature  after  being  properly  educated  in  city 
ways.  Each  morning  they  are  driven  into  town  in 
large  bands  from  the  surrounding  country  pastures, 
and  as  they  arrive  the  caravan  gradually  disintegrates 
as  in  smaller  groups  they  wend  their  way  in  different 
directions  and  down  different  streets  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  their  respective  customers.  When  they 
reach  a  house  where  one  of  them  has  to  be  milked,  the 
others  lie  down  on  the  pavement  while  the  selected 


104 

Nanny  marches  gravely  up  the  stairs  with  the  goat- 
herd to  be  milked  and  the  operation  over  quietly 
comes  down  the  stairway  and  rejoins  her  companions. 
A  goat  will  step  aside  and  give  roadway  to  a  horse 
and  cart,  or  an  automobile,  but  in  return  requires  the 
same  deference  from  a  bicycle  or  a  pedestrian. 

April  14' — Spent  most  of  the  morning  at  the  hotel 
resting,  but  went  to  the  museum  for  an  hour  and 
spent  another  hour  at  the  aquarium.  A  long  street 
car  ride  filled  in  a  portion  of  the  day,  stopping  off 
from  time  to  time  and  exploring  the  mysteries  of  the 
narrow  and  crooked  side  streets  with  their  tiny  shops 
and  street  vendors  offering  with  great  pertinacity 
everything  for  sale  that  you  don't  want  and  wouldn't 
have  at  any  price.  Vivid  life  and  color  greet  you 
everywhere.  Officers  in  clanging  swords  and  daz- 
zling uniforms,  gracious  flower  vendors  with  their 
wreath  of  fragrant  blossoms,  ragged  and  uncomely 
lazzaroni  and  a  still  different  class  of  picturesque 
Neapolitans,  who  seem  to  have  no  occupation  but 
that  of  seeking  the  sunny  side  of  the  street  and  lazily 
basking  in  its  warm  rays  without  a  care  for  to-day  or 
a  thought  of  the  morrow. 

The  Museum  contains  a  fine  library  and  picture 
gallery  including  many  wonderful  works  by  Botticelli 
Raphael,  Titian,  Correggio,  Reni  and  others  equally 
famous,  and  the  aquarium  though  comparatively 
small,  is  filled  with  many  rare,  curious  and  beautiful 
specimens  of  sea  life. 

April  15. — Spent  the  day  in  repacking  our  trunks 
and  suit-cases  with  a  view  to  shipping  the  former  by 
express  to  Paris. 


105 

April  16. — Took  the  train  this  morning  for  Pompeii, 
The  ride  is  through  a  level  country,  affording  a  beau- 
tiful and  extensive  view  of  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  island  of  Capri  on  one  side  and  Mount  Vesuvius 
and  a  snow  covered  range  on  the  other  side.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  ruined  city,  upon  the  payment  of  the  equiva- 
lent of  half  a  dollar  each,  we  were  admitted  through  a 
gate  and  left  to  wander  at  will  along  the  excavated 
and  silent  streets.  Apparently  the  houses  were 
mostly  one  and  two  stories  in  height.  They  were 
built  of  brick  and  many  of  the  more  pretentious  ones 
were  built  around  spacious  courts  and  adorned  with 
numerous  Doric  or  Corinthian  columns.  These 
columns  were  sometimes  of  limestone,  but  usually  of 
brick  originally  covered  with  a  stucco  made  of  crushed 
or  powdered  marble.  The  inside  walls  of  the  building 
were  also  stuccoed  or  plastered  and  usually  frescoed 
with  decorations  and  designs  suited  to  the  character 
of  each  room.  These  decorations  were  largely 
ruined  or  obliterated  by  the  heated  ashes  and  fumes 
that  overwhelmed  the  city,  and  only  here  and  there 
sufficient  remnants  are  found  to  bear  testimony  to 
their  original  beauty.  These  courts  were  lavishly 
adorned  by  exquisite  marble  and  bronze  statues, 
nearly  all  of  which  have  been  removed  to  the  National 
Museum  of  Naples.  There  is,  however,  a  small 
museum  in  which  are  preserved  the  calcined  corpses 
of  a  number  of  persons  and  animals  just  as  they  were 
overtaken  by  the  shower  of  volcanic  ashes,  and  show- 
ing clearly  the  agonizing  struggles  of  their  last 
moments.  There  are  also  preserved  loaves  of  bread 
that  were  just  ready  or  had  just  gone  into  the  oven 
to  be  baked,  and  likewise  figs  and  other  fruits  mar- 
velously  preserved  and  petrified  by  the  action  of  the 


106 

heat  and  gases.  At  least  these  are  the  things  that 
are  shown  and  these  are  the  stories  that  are  told  to 
tenderfoot  travelers,  who,  if  they  have  not  already  had 
their  stock  of  credulity  bankrupted  by  experience  in 
Egypt  and  Palestine,  usually  swallow  them  without 
a  grimace.  Undoubtedly  there  was  much  outward 
display  and  great  luxury  and  extravagance  of  living 
among  the  wealthier  classes  in  the  city,  but  as  an  awe 
inspiring  ruin  Pompeii  is  not  to  be  spoken  of  in  the 
same  breath  with  the  pyramids,  temples  and  tombs 
of  Egypt  or  the  classic  remains  of  the  Parthenon  and 
other  Grecian  temples. 

April  17. — Took  the  boat  this  morning  for  a  trip  to 
Capri  and  the  Blue  Grotto.  In  order  that  no  oppor- 
tunity may  be  missed  to  separate  the  traveler  from 
his  coin,  the  steamer,  instead  of  tying  up  alongside 
the  wharf  so  that  passengers  could  step  aboard,  was 
moored  out  about  twenty-five  yards  from  shore. 
This  rendered  it  necessary  to  take  a  small  boat  and  to 
pay  the  owner  thirty  centimes  to  be  landed  on  board. 
This  financial  scheme  is  carried  out  in  monotonous 
detail  throughout  the  trip.  Hardly  has  the  steamer 
started  before  a  band  of  strolling  musicians  favor  us 
with  ear-splitting  music  and  at  four  different  inter- 
vals on  the  trip  pass  the  hat  and  stare  us  out  of 
countenance  until  we  yield  up  other  instalments  of 
centimes.  Furthermore,  this  holdup  process  is  again 
worked  on  us  at  the  Blue  Grotto  and  at  the  landing 
from  and  returning  to  the  vessel  at  Capri.  The  first 
stop  on  the  trip  is  at  Sorrento,  which  hke  all  these 
Italian  coast  towns  begins  with  a  narrow  street  along 
the  water  front  and  immediately  proceeds  to  chmb 
the  steep  and  rocky  hillside  back  of  it.     There  is 


107 

nothing  particularly  interesting  here  except  the  villa 
of  F.  Marion  Crawford,  which  is  on  the  very  edge  of  a 
high  cliff  overlooking  the  water.  Passing  the  town 
of  Capri  we  proceeded  first  to  the  famous  Blue  Grotto. 
Here  we  were  taken  from  the  steamer  in  small  boats 
holding  but  two  persons  each  besides  the  oarsman. 
The  entrance  to  the  grotto  is  in  the  face  of  a  perpen- 
dicular cliff  at  the  water's  edge,  and  as  you  approach 
the  entrance  it  is  necessary  to  lie  down  flat  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  to  avoid  hitting  your  head  against 
the  rock  above,  but  immediately  after  entering  you 
find  yourself  within  a  large  cave.  As  soon  as  you  sit 
up  in  the  boat  and  look  down  into  the  water,  your 
eyes  are  fairly  dazzled  with  an  intense  shade  of 
blue,  the  lustre  and  brilliancy  of  which  you  have  never 
seen  equaled  in  the  heavens  above,  the  earth  beneath 
or  the  waters  under  the  earth.  As  there  was  a  large 
crowd  on  the  steamer,  all  desirous  of  seeing  the  grotto, 
the  small  boats  had  to  make  repeated  trips  and  there- 
fore one  was  only  allowed  to  remain  in  the  cave  about 
five  minutes.  After  all  had  made  the  trip  the  steamer 
proceeded  back  to  Capri  village.  We  landed  and 
took  the  Funicular  railway  to  the  town  of  Anacapri. 
Here  Monte  Salaro  rises  abruptly  from  the  sea  nearly 
two  thousand  feet.  We  walked  a  distance  up  the 
via  Krupp,  a  road  that  leads  to  a  mansion  erected  by 
the  daughter  of  the  great  German  gun-maker  and 
from  a  high  point  looked  down  directly  into  the  beau- 
fully  tinted  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  shallow 
enough  at  this  point  to  reflect  all  the  varied  tints  of 
the  rocks  and  sea  moss  on  the  bottom.  From  the 
Krupp  mansion  a  most  marvelously  constructed  road 
winds  its  tortuous  way  along  the  perpendicular  side 
of  the  cliff  down  to  the  water's  edge.     After  spending 


108 

several  hours  wandering  around  Capri  we  returned  to 
Naples  in  time  for  dinner. 

April  18. — Spent  most  of  the  day  in  making  prepa- 
rations for  our  departure  to  Rome.  Shipped  our 
trunks  to  London  and  bid  good-bye  to  the  remaining 
members  of  our  party.  This  ends  our  regular  tour 
with  H.  W.  Dunning  &  Co,  and  henceforth  we  travel 
on  our  own  responsibility.  We  have  had  ruins,  tem- 
ples, tombs,  pyramids  and  mosques  galore.  We  have 
had  all  the  dialects  that  began  with  the  dispersion 
at  the  tower  of  Babel  and  that  have  survived  the  cen- 
turies to  date.  We  have  looked  upon  Rameses  and 
the  old  Pharaohs  as  they  caused  themselves  to  be 
pictured  upon  their  own  sarcophagi,  and  we  have 
dickered  with  their  descendants  for  scarabs  and  beads 
and  shawls.  We  have  seen  the  spot  where  Moses  of 
old  was  yanked  out  of  his  cozy  bed  amidst  the  bul- 
rushes of  the  Nile  and  were  surprised  to  find  that  it 
was  a  place  where  apparently  no  self-respecting  bul- 
rush ever  had  the  temerity  to  grow.  We  have  been 
through  the  country  where  Father  Abraham  said 
unto  Lot:  ^'Let  there  be  no  strife  between  mine  and 
thine,"  or  words  to  that  effect,  and  if  the  whole  region 
were  offered  to  an  American  stock-raiser  free  of  rental 
he  would  doubtless  look  further  We  have  been  to 
Jericho  and  the  River  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea. 
We  have  seen  the  place  where  the  spies  of  Joshua 
lodged,  pending  their  return  with  the  bunch  of  grapes 
from  Eschol,  suspended  from  their  shoulders  upon  a 
pole,  and  we  failed  to  see  even  by  the  eye  of  faith  a 
foot  of  land  for  thirty  miles  on  either  side  that  would 
tempt  a  California  vineyardist  to  invest  thirty  cents 
in  the  planting  of  a  vineyard.     We  have  planted  our 


109 

feet  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  Holy  City  of 
Jerusalem,  and  have  been  puzzled  to  determine  in  the 
quarters  of  which  particular  religious  sect  is  to  be 
found  the  lowest  depth  of  poverty,  the  most  per- 
vading accumulations  of  human  filth  and  the  most 
persistent  and  scientific  methods  of  beggary.  We 
have  been  to  ^'fair  Damascus  on  the  fertile  banks  of 
Abana  and  Paraphon,"  the  oldest  existent  city  of  the 
world,  where  the  canine  scavengers  contend  through- 
out the  slumberless  hours  of  night  with  bark  and 
snarl  and  yell  for  a  fair  division  of  the  public  slops 
and  offal,  and  failed  to  find  that  time  has  been  any 
particular  factor  in  the  evolution  of  methods  prac- 
ticed forty  centuries  ago.  We  have  sailed  up  the 
beautiful  strait  of  Dardanelles,  carefully  piloted 
through  the  winding  and  tortuous  channel,  that  we 
peradventure  might  not  be  suddenly  cut  short  in  our 
earthly  careers  by  the  system  of  submerged  torpedoes, 
and  finally  came  to  anchor  in  that  great  city  of  the 
Golden  Horn,  once  the  capital  of  the  illustrious 
Emperor  Constantine,  but  now  the  head  and  strong- 
hold of  the  Mohammedan  millions  of  the  Orient. 
We  have  walked  the  streets  of  classic  Athens,  where 
the  philosophy  of  Socrates,  Plato  and  Aristotle,  that 
has  charmed  the  intellectual  world  for  more  than 
twenty  centuries,  was  first  expounded;  where  Demos- 
thenes pronounced  the  orations  that  are  still  held  as 
models  of  eloquence;  where  the  military  achieve- 
ments of  Alcibiades  and  Miltiades  gave  glory  and 
prestige  to  their  native  city;  where  ''the  mountains 
look  on  Marathon  and  Marathon  looks  on  the  sea;'^ 
where  the  noble  hill  of  the  Acropolis  stands,  yet  sur- 
mounted with  the  ruins  of  that  model  of  beauty, 
dignity  and  splendor,  the  Parthenon.     We  have  sailed 


110 

amidst  ^^the  isles  of  Greece,  where  burning  Sappho 
loved  and  sung;"  where  the  giant  Colossus  once 
bestrode  the  harbor  of  Rhodes  to  the  wonder  of  the 
ancient  world,  and  where  present  appearances  indi- 
cate that  the  goddesses  of  poetry  and  sentiment  have 
taken  unto  themselves  wings  and  that  hard,  grinding 
poverty  is  measured  out  in  daily  allowance  to  these 
ignorant  and  unfortunate  descendants  of  the  world's 
immortals.  We  have  crossed  the  plains  of  sunny 
southern  Italy,  where  Hannibal  and  Fabius  con- 
tended respectively  for  the  glory  and  power  of  Car- 
thage and  Rome.  We  have  trod  the  streets  and 
gazed  with  wondering  eyes  upon  Naples  and  her 
beautiful  bay,  but  have  not  felt  like  fulfilling  the  old 
saying  of  ^^See  Naples  and  die.'  We  have  gazed 
upon  the  erstwhile  angry  and  vaporous  crater  of 
Vesuvius,  but  find  it  now  on  its  very  best  behaviour. 
We  have  walked  the  resurrected  streets  of  Pompeii 
and  have  viewed  its  excavations  with  mingled  feel- 
ings of  awe  and  disgust,  and  now  we  pass  to  other 
scenes  and  wonders. 

April  19. — Left  Naples  for  Rome.  The  trip  was 
without  special  incident.  The  country  through 
which  we  passed  was  most  beautiful  and  fertile. 
Every  foot  of  available  ground  was  in  the  highest  state 
of  cultivation  and  owing  to  recent  copious  rains  the 
crops  bid  fair  to  be  bounteous.  A  large  portion  of  the 
land  was  devoted  to  grapes  and  olives,  with  con- 
siderable fields  of  wheat,  artichokes  and  garden  vege- 
tables. As  per  previous  engagement  we  drove  to  the 
Hotel  Boos  in  the  Palazzo  Rospigliosi,  where  we 
found  our  room  ready  for  us.  It  is  a  large  rambling 
building,  looking  on  the  outside  much  like  a  dilapi- 


Ill 

dated  Spanish  adobe,  but  on  the  inside  very  clean, 
comfortable  and  for  this  country  a  very  decent  table. 
As  is  customary,  however,  on  this  side  of  the  great 
water,  the  breakfast  consists  of  nothing  but  vile 
coffee,  dry  bread  and  jam,  unless  you  supplement  it 
by  ordering  eggs,  for  which  an  extra  charge  is  made. 
We  are  very  centrally  located  on  the  main  business 
street,  or  via  Nationale  as  it  is  called  and  immediately 
opposite  the  bank  of  Italy,  which  is  a  large  four  story 
marble  building  covering  half  a  block  and  adorned 
with  sundry  and  divers  marble  statues  of  heroic  size. 

April  20, — Here  we  are  in  Rome.  Rome  whose 
foundation  is  mythologically  ascribed  to  Romulus 
and  Remus  the  twin  babes,  who  after  being  cast  into 
the  river  were  rescued  and  nourished  by  a  she  wolf. 
Rome  who  gradually  conquered  and  absorbed  the 
Sabines,  the  Etruscans  and  the  Samnians.  Rome, 
the  despotism  and  lechery  of  whose  rulers  inspired 
the  revolt  that  drove  the  Tarquins  from  the  throne. 
Rome  whose  glory  was  enhanced  and  whose  power 
was  extended  by  the  defeat  of  Hannibal  and  the  de- 
struction of  Carthage.  Rome,  whose  territories  were 
extended  to  Gaul  and  Britain  through  the  genius  and 
military  sagacity  of  Julius  Caesar.  Rome,  who  at 
last  through  her  conquests  became  the  mistress  of  the 
civilized  world.  Rome,where  the  eloquence  of  Cicero 
fired  the  heart  and  stirred  the  imagination  and  com- 
manded the  love  of  the  common  people.  Rome,  the 
home  of  Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo.  Rome,  the 
head  of  the  great  Catholic  Church  with  her  tomb  and 
her  church  of  St.  Peter.  Rome,  with  her  majestic 
and  historic  ruins  that  bear  witness  to  her  days  of 
pomp  and  power,  that  have  survived  her  periods  of 


112 

distress  and  defeat  and  now  stand  as  material  evi- 
dence of  her  former  greatness  and  achievements. 

Of  course,  we  began  our  sightseeing  by  a  visit  to 
the  Church  of  St.  Peter.  For  some  reason,  as  we 
approached  it,  the  dome  did  not  appeal  to  me  as 
being  so  commanding  in  size  as  I  expected.  The 
shape  of  the  Basilica — that  of  a  Latin  cross,  no  doubt 
has  much  to  do  with  this.  But  the  grand  and  beau- 
tiful things  that  are  contained  within  its  walls  in  the 
way  of  exquisite  statuary,  historic  paintings  and 
beautiful  monuments,  the  amount  of  laborious  and 
painstaking  ornamentation,  the  blind  faith,  zeal  and 
patience  exercised  in  the  conception  and  execution  of 
them,  is  one  of  the  great  mysteries  of  the  human  mind 
and  one  of  the  great  eccentricities  of  the  human  imagi- 
nation. In  the  building,  multiplication  and  embel- 
lishment of  churches  and  cathedrals,  the  central  head 
of  the  great  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  for  hundreds 
of  years  exacted  increasing  contributions  from  its 
millions  of  devotees  throughout  the  world,  most  of 
which  has  been  spent,  not  in  the  uplift  of  the  people, 
but  in  the  maintenance  of  a  horde  of  priests  whose 
appearance  indicates  nothing  but  a  lot  of  jolly  good 
fellows  accustomed  to  the  wines  and  warmth  of  good 
living,  and  in  the  spectacular  adornment  of  its  innu- 
merable and  largely  unnecessary  places  of  worship. 
And  yet  I  must  do  the  Catholic  Church  the  credit  to 
say  that  were  it  not  for  the  fear  of  future  punishment 
it  holds  so  sternly  and  heavily  over  its  devotees,  the 
ranks  of  anarchy  and  socialism  would  be  rapidly 
and  largely  increased. 

These  Italians,  on  the  average,  are  a  much  better 
and  more  prosperous  looking  people  than  the  general 
run  of  those  we  find  in  America,  but  that  of  course  is 


113 

due  to  the  fact  that  we  as  a  rule  only  get  the  refuse 
and  'off scouring  of  the  country.  Among  the  mer- 
chants however,  business  integrity  is  an  unknown 
quantity,  at  least  so  far  as  their  dealings  with  strangers 
are  concerned.  From  the  hackman  who  hauls  you 
through  the  streets,  to  the  most  fashionable  store- 
keeper from  whom  you  make  a  purchase,  the  insistent 
and  unblushing  attempt  to  balloon  your  bill  or  short- 
change you  in  its  payment  is,  so  far  as  my  experience 
goes,  invariably  made.  Nothing  but  a  knowledge  of 
their  money  values  can  save  one  from  this  imposition. 
If  there  is  a  more  dishonest  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  I  have  never  met  them,  unless  it  be  the  Japanese. 
And  yet  such  suavity,  such  deferential  politeness 
and  such  all-around  good  natured  attention  as  one 
receives  in  his  contact  with  them  exceeds  anything 
we  have  yet  encountered.  From  St.  Peter^s  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Vatican  and  first  took  our  way  through 
the  museum,  with  its  numerous  and  lengthy  halls  and 
its  nearly  two  thousand  works  of  art.  From  thence 
we  were  shown  through  the  library  containing  many 
most  beautifully  hand-illuminated  vo  umes  and  also  a 
large  collection  of  most  magnificent  testimonials  pre- 
sented to  the  various  popes  by  the  sovereigns  of  the 
world.  In  the  evening  we  proceeded  to  the  Coliseum, 
where  a  band  concert  was  in  progress,  and  where, 
after  the  close  of  the  concert,  a  grand  illumination  of 
the  magnificent  ruin  with  red  and  green  Greek  fire 
took  place,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  that  of  the 
Parthenon  we  saw  at  Athens,  but  not  comparable 
with  the  latter  in  beauty  and  effect. 

April  21, — ^Visited  the  Galleria  d'Arte  Modernaor 
gallery  of  Belles  Arts,  containing  a  large  collection  of 
1677—8 


114 

modern  Italian  paintings,  some  of  which,  to  the  eye 
of  the  layman,  are  very  fine  and  many  more  are  medi- 
ocre. In  the  afternoon  strolled  through  the  Coliseum 
and  a  portion  of  the  Forum.  This  magnificent 
ruin  of  the  Coliseum  stands  as  the  most  striking 
reminder  of  the  days  when  Rome,  in  her  pomp, 
potency  and  power,  ruled  the  civilized  world.  Built 
through  the  toil,  the  anguish  and  the  life-blood  of  the 
Jewish  captives  who  survived  the  capture  and  sacking 
of  Jerusalem  by  the  Emperor  Titus,  it  became  the 
scene  and  the  resort  for  all  the  functions  of  a  public 
character.  Here,  at  its  dedication,  a  carnival  of 
blood  and  blood-thirsty  carnage  ensued,  when  five 
thousand  wild  and  ferocious  animals  were  slain  by  the 
no  less  savage  and  ferocious  gladiators.  Here  the 
early  Christians  were  dragged  from  the  dens  and 
caves  and  catacombs  and  consigned  without  mercy 
and  amid  the  cheers  and  frantic  plaudits  of  the 
onlooking  multitudes  to  the  tearing  claws  and  bloody 
fangs  of  the  savage  beasts  of  the  African  jungle. 
Here  for  four  hundred  years  the  gladiatorial  contests 
took  place  and  the  untamed  animal  of  the  forest  and 
desert  contended  with  the  fiercer  barbarian  captive 
for  the  holiday  amusement  of  the  Roman  people. 
But  time,  the  tomb-builder,  has  laid  his  heavy  hands 
upon  the  massive  pile,  and  out  of  its  broken  arches 
and  terraces  grow  variegated  mosses,  wild  myrtle, 
olive  and  a  variety  of  other  flowers  and  plants. 

April  22. — This  morning  we  visited  the  Gesu, 
which  is  the  principal  church  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
and  is  the  most  beautiful  and  profusely  decorated 
place  of  worship  in  Rome.  Numerous  large  and 
massive  columns  of  lapis  lazuli  and  bronze  adorn  the 


115 

interior,  and  the  marbles  used  are  of  almost  every 
shade  of  beauty  and  richness.  From  here  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  church  of  St.  Andrea  della  Valle,  which 
covers  the  site  where  Caesar  was  assassinated.  These 
churches,  with  their  thick  marble  walls  and  an  entire 
absence  of  heat,  are  as  cold  and  uninviting  to  one 
whose  blood  has  been  thinned  by  long  residence  in  a 
warm  climate  as  the  veriest  prison  dungeon,  and 
lucky  is  the  visitor  who  succeeds  in  leaving  without 
the  nucleus  of  a  severe  cold. 

April  23. — Visited  and  more  particularly  examined 
the  Forum  and  Colunrn  of  Trajan.  This  column  was 
erected  by  Trajan  in  commemoration  of  his  victory 
over  the  Dacians.  It  stands  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high  and  is  literally  covered  from  base  to 
capital  with  bas-reliefs,  recording  the  various  inci- 
dents of  his  conquests.  The  Forum  lies  between  the 
ancient  Capitoline  and  Palatine  hills.  It  was  once 
surrounded  by  a  two  story  colonnade  and  adorned 
with  magnificent  temples,  and  in  the  days  of  Cicero's, 
eloquence  and  Cataline's  defiance  was  the  resort  of 
tumultuous  crowds  of  interested  listeners.  Only  a 
few  of  its  noble  columns  remain  standing,  and  although 
its  site  has  been  excavated  and  exposed  to  modern 
view,  its  floor  was  for  centuries  buried  under  some 
twenty-five  feet  of  accumulated  rubbish  and  crum- 
bling ruins.  Looking  upon  these  remnants  of  past 
glory  and  magnificence  one  is  brought  to  a  realizing 
sense  of  the  mutability  of  human  events.  Eighteen 
hundred  years  ago  the  legions  of  Claudius  protested 
against  being  led  into  the  wilds  of  Britain,  urging  that 
it  was  a  barbarous  land  and  lay  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  world,  and  now  travelers  from  that  same  land  of 


116 

barbarous  Britain  look  with  wondering  pity  upon  the 
fallen  grandeur  of  ancient  Rome  and  point  with 
pride  to  that  magnificent  realm  of  world-wide  power 
and  prosperity  whose  metropolis  spans  the  Thames. 
Not  far  from  here  is  the  monument  to  Victor  Emanuel, 
not  yet  completed,  but  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
magnificent  structures  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  It 
makes  Grant's  tomb  on  Riverside  Drive  in  New  York 
look  like  thirty  cents  by  contrast.  It  has  already 
cost  several  millions  of  dollars,  and  will  likely  cost  a 
million  or  two  more  before  it  is  finished.  The  mas- 
sive building,  with  its  many  Corinthian  columns,  is 
somewhat  crescent  shaped  and  is  constructed  of  pure 
white  marble  and  adorned  with  almost  innumerable 
bas-reliefs,  carvings  and  statues,  the  latter  of  heroic 
and  even  gigantic  size.  Several  equestrian  statues 
are  covered  with  gilt  and  catch  the  eye  in  the  glare  of 
the  Italian  sun  as  far  as  human  vision  can  reach. 

April  24-' — Not  feeling  well,  remained  most  of  the 
day  in  the  hotel.  From  my  front  window  I  can  look 
out  upon  the  main  thoroughfare,  the  Via  Nationale, 
and  watch  the  living,  moving  stream  of  humanity  as 
it  passes,  and  note  with  wonder  and  astonishment, 
even  though  it  be  in  Rome,  the  hundreds  and  still 
more  hundreds  of  priests,  monks,  friars,  nuns  and 
rehgious  students,  clad  in  the  varied  and  striking 
garbs  of  their  respective  orders.  They  are  to  be  seen 
singly  and  in  groups,  both  large  and  small.  Some  of 
these  orders  are  supported  by  the  government,  but 
the  friars  rely  entirely  upon  alms  and  donations.  In 
other  words  they  are  chronic  beggars,  and  in  order 
that  they  may  be  a  credit  to  their  profession,  they 
pursue  it  with  constant  and  unflagging  industry. 


117 

It  has  been  said  that  the  priests,  monks  and  nuns  in 
Rome  number  one  in  twenty-five  of  the  total  popu- 
lation. Speaking  of  beggars,  nearly  everybody  in 
Rome  is  guilty  of  the  accusation  in  some  form  or 
other.  A  clerk  in  a  shop  expects  a  tip  after  you  have 
paid  the  store  price  for  the  article  of  your  purchase. 
A  barber  who  shaves  you  follows  you  to  the  cashier 
and  solicits  a  donation  after  you  have  paid  for  your 
shave.  A  cab-driver,  who  has  been  paid  the  agreed 
price  for  his  cab,  invariably  expects  a  gratuity  with 
which  to  buy  a  drink  and  so  on  ad  infinitum  and  ad 
nauseam. 

April  25. — In  the  afternoon  we  entered  a  carriage 
and  had  a  beautiful  drive  to  the  gardens  and  park  on 
Pincio  hill  and  at  the  Villa  Borghese.  The  gardens 
and  park  are  embellished  by  numerous  marble  busts 
of  eminent  Italians,  both  ancient  and  modern,  and 
also  with  monuments  and  obelisks.  On  our  way 
home  we  stopped  at  a  cafe  and  refreshed  ourselves 
with  some  villainous  Italian  coffee  and  some  moder- 
ately good  ice  cream  and  cakes.  We  have  not  in  all 
our  travels  so  far  since  leaving  home,  through  Africa, 
Asia  or  Europe,  seen  a  single  cup  of  coffee  that  would 
be  tolerated  for  one  moment  by  the  patrons  of  the 
lowest  class  of  American  restaurants.  One  could 
waive  the  single  item  of  coffee  and  take  hot  water  as 
a  substitute,  except  that  one's  breakfast  never  con- 
sists of  anything  but  coffee  and  bread  and  butter, 
and  if  you  ehminate  the  former,  you  have  nothing 
left  but  extreme  prison  diet.  Possibly,  however, 
we  Americans  don't  know  good  coffee  when  we  see  it, 
and  foreigners  may  for  all  I  know,  reverse  the  above 
criticism  when  subjected  to  the  morning  diet  of  an 
American  hostelry. 


118 
April  ;^^.— Sick  all  day. 

April  27. — Again  visited  the  Vatican  and  wandered 
through  the  Sistine  Chapel,  the  hall  of  the  Raphael 
tapestries  and  the  Vatican  picture  gallery,  the  latter 
of  which  contains  many  noted  pictures,  including 
Raphael's  Transfiguration  and  Madonna  di  Foligno 
and  Titian's  Madonna.  The  Vatican  is  a  building 
of  tremendous  proportions,  covering  about  twenty 
acres  of  ground  and  said  to  contain  some  four  thou- 
sand rooms.  Its  galleries  are  filled  with  the  world's 
choicest  art  treasures,  both  in  paintings  and  stat- 
uary. Climbing  a  broad  flight  of  marble  steps,  and 
passing  through  sundry  saloons  and  corridors,  we 
came  to  a  gallery  that  seemed  to  be  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long,  peopled  with  statues  of  world-wide 
fame.  For  hours  our  wanderings  continued  with 
absorbed  attention  through  halls,  saloons  and  courts 
filled  with  statuary  until  it  seemed  as  if  we  were 
threading  the  streets  of  a  city  whose  inhabitants 
had  all  been  turned  to  stone.  The  interest  and  the 
impressiveness  of  all  these  objects  is  greatly  enhanced 
by  the  recollections  and  associations  with  which  the 
imagination  invests  them. 

Among  the  statuary,  one  of  the  most  curious  is  a 
colossal  group  of  the  Nile,  displaying  its  River  God 
reclining  at  full  length,  accompanied  by  the  Ibis,  the 
Hippopotamus  and  the  Alligator  and  surrounded 
by  sixteen  children  playing  about  him,  in  allegorical 
allusion  to  the  sixteen  cubits  which  the  river  must  rise 
to  fertilize  the  land  of  Egypt.  Another  suite  of 
rooms  contains  the  Etruscan  museum,  where  is 
displayed  a  vast  collection  of  most  interesting  memor- 
ials of  that  ancient  and  obscurely  known  people  who 


119 

conquered  Italy  and  who  excelled  in  civilization  and 
the  arts  while  the  Greeks  were  yet  barbarians  and 
Rome  was  not  even  founded.  Ornaments  of  gold, 
necklaces,  chains,  rings  and  brooches  of  beautiful 
and  delicate  workmanship  are  much  in  evidence,  to 
say  nothing  of  coins,  vases  and  even  tombs. 

April  28. — Visited  the  Forum  of  Augustus  and  the 
Palatine  hill,  including  the  Palace  of  Tiberius,  House 
of  Li  via.  Palace  of  Augustus,  the  Stadium,  etc. 
From  the  summit  of  the  Palatine  a  fine  view  of  the 
whole  city  is  obtained. 

April  29, — An  all  day  rain  kept  us  within  doors. 

April  SO, — Took  a  long  drive  out  the  Appian  Way 
and  to  the  Catacombs.  The  air  was  warm  and 
spring-like,  and  both  wild  and  cultivated  flowers  were 
blooming  in  profusion  along  the  way. 

May  L — Took  the  train  this  morning  for  Florence. 
It  began  raining  again  just  as  we  were  leaving  Rome 
and  continued  all  day,  gradually  getting  colder  and 
colder,  until  when  we  reached  Florence  it  was  almost 
cold  enough  to  snow. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  an  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  region  possessing  no 
unusual  scenery  or  characteristics.  The  principal 
crops  seemed  to  be  grain  and  grapes,  with  here  and 
there  a  few  ohve,  apricot  and  almond  trees.  The 
railroad  for  a  good  many  miles  after  leaving  Rome 
follows  the  valley  of  the  Tiber  and  then,  after  cross- 
ing a  divide,  continues  down  the  valley  of  the  Arno. 
On  reaching  Florence  we  entered  the  Albion  hotel 


120 

omnibus,  with  directions  to  drive  us  to  that  hosteby. 
Later  we  found  we  had  been  driven  to  the  hotel  Roma, 
where  we  had  to  put  up  with  a  single  room  without  a 
particle  of  heat  anywhere  in  the  hotel,  with  the 
weather  damp  and  cold  enough  for  mid-winter. 

May  2. — After  luncheon  we  drove  to  the  Albion 
hotel,  where  we  secured  a  good  room  with  steam  heat. 
The  one  thing  that  has  impressed  me  more  than  any 
other  throughout  Italy  thus  far  is  the  inherent,  insist- 
ent and  universal  dishonesty  of  the  people.  I  have 
alluded  to  it  heretofore,  but  experience  here  so  far 
has  only  given  it  additional  emphasis.  Even  the 
small  matter  of  a  penny  seems  sufficient  to  bury  all 
moral  instinct.  During  the  afternoon  took  a  walk 
among  the  shops  along  the  Arno,  and  crossed  the  old 
Ponte  Vecchio  bridge  which  is  lined  on  both  sides 
with  shops  containing  jewelry,  antiquities  and  pic- 
tures of  endless  variety  and  style.  The  beautiful  Arno, 
of  which  the  poets  and  enthusiasts  have  so  often  sung, 
flows  through  the  center  of  the  city,  walled  in  on 
both  sides  and  crossed  by  numerous  presumptuous 
bridges  with  massive  stone  arches.  At  present, 
owing  to  frequent  rains,  its  current  is  as  muddy  as 
the  Missouri,  but  its  dimensions  and  its  depth  at 
ordinary  stage,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  would,  if  in 
America,  cause  it  to  be  denominated  Arno  creek. 
Speaking  of  America,  the  contrast  between  traveling 
there  and  here  is  most  striking.  In  our  land  of  mag- 
nificent distances  and  wide  areas  of  thinly  populated 
mountain  and  sage-brush  desolation,  a  week  or  two 
of  time  would  mean  only  a  hasty  and  exhausting  visit 
at  large  financial  cost  to  a  few  of  nature's  interesting 
and  wonderful  exhibits.     Here  in  Italy  the  congested 


121 

mass  of  interesting,  beautiful  and  historically  famous 
works  of  art  and  architecture,  supplemented  by  the 
scenic  charms  of  her  lofty  mountains  and  cerulean 
lakes,  keeps  one  in  a  state  of  daily  surprise  at  the  com- 
paratively insignificant  territorial  size  of  European 
countries.  It  is  almost  dazing  to  pass  in  such  quick 
succession  from  one  interestmg  place  to  another  still 
more  interesting.  In  her  palaces,  her  cathedrals, 
her  ancient  ruins  and  her  art  galleries,  Italy  is  like  one 
of  her  fine  and  delicate  mosaics,  not  a  particle  of 
whose  surface  but  is  beautified  with  some  special  his- 
tory. Nowhere  that  we  have  been  does  the  unpre- 
pared and  uninformed  condition  of  the  average  tourist 
become  so  painfully  apparent,  for  the  days  are  all  too 
short  for  both  sight-seeing  and  study  and  the  nights 
are  imperatively  required  for  recuperation  from  the 
day's  fatigues.  He  who  would  enjoy  this  country 
thoroughly,  should  preface  his  trip  with  several 
months  of  careful  preparation  and  study  to  familiar- 
ize himself  with  what  he  is  about  to  see,  and  of  its 
place  and  importance  in  the  history  of  the  world's 
art,  architecture,  religion  and  natural  wonders. 
This  fact  is  more  deeply  borne  in  upon  me  by  reason 
of  my  own  vital  deficiencies  along  these  lines. 

May  3. — Visited  the  Duomo  or  Cathedral  of  Santa 
Maria  del  Fiore,  erected  in  the  fourteenth  century 
under  instructions  from  the  Florentines  to  rear  a 
temple  which  was  to  exceed  in  magnificence  anything 
the  world  had  yet  seen.  The  outside  was  con- 
structed of  many  colored  marbles,  which  before  they 
became  dulled  and  stained  by  the  ruthless  hand  of 
time  must  have  been  marvelously  beautiful.  The 
dome  is  larger  than  that  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  and 


122 

in  fact  was  used  by  Michael  Angelo  as  a  model  for  the 
construction  of  St.  Peter's.  The  ceiling  of  the  dome 
is  covered  with  frescoes  which  are  much  obscured  by 
the  dimness  of  the  light.  In  fact,  entering  the  Cathe- 
dral from  the  broad  glare  of  day,  it  is  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  before  one's  eyes  become  accustomed  to  the 
gloom.  The  stained  glass  windows  are  the  glory  of 
the  place,  and  nothing  more  exquisite  could  be 
imagined  than  the  soft  and  variegated  shades  of  light 
that  greet  the  eye  on  a  bright  sunshiny  day.  During 
our  visit  a  babe  was  brought  by  its  parents  and  was 
duly  baptized  by  the  officiating  priest.  Numerous 
monuments  and  statues  grace  the  auditorium.  The 
Sacristy  in  the  right  transept  is  said  to  have  been  a 
place  of  refuge  for  Lorenzo  de  Medici  to  escape  assas- 
sination. Standing  alongside  the  Duomo  is  the  Cam- 
panile or  tower,  designed  and  constructed  under  the 
direction  of  the  same  architect,  Giotto.  It  is  nearly 
three  hundred  feet  high  and  its  adornment  is  carried 
out  with  a  wealth  of  detail  that  is  both  confusing  and 
tiresome.  We  also  visited  the  Baptistry  and 
admired  its  beautiful  bronze  doors,  the  like  of  which 
it  is  alleged  do  not  exist  elsewhere. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  a  ride  on  the  electric  cars 
to  the  hill  on  which  stands  Galileo's  house,  from  which 
a  magnificent  view  of  the  city  can  be  had. 

May  4" — Took  a  tour  around  among  several  of  the 
superfluous  churches  that  stare  you  in  the  face  at 
almost  every  turn  of  the  street.  Each  one  of  them 
is  adorned  on  the  inside  with  marble  statues,  gilded 
and  mosaic  ceilings,  a  full  supply  of  costly  and  beau- 
tiful altars,  images  and  paintings  and  a  battalion  of 
fat  and  lusty  looking  priests  and  attendants,  all  on  the 


123 

keen  scent  for  the  people's  money.  Each  one  of  these 
churches  seems  to  contain  at  least  one  particular 
masterpiece  in  painting  or  statuary  that  is  to  be 
found  nowhere  else,  consequently  the  solemn  duty  is 
impressed  upon  you  of  seeing  them  all.  When  one 
stops  to  think  of  the  enormous  amount  of  money  that 
has  been  spent  in  building  and  decorating  the  infinite 
number  of  cathedrals,  churches  and  baptisteries 
throughout  this  priest-ridden  country,  one  can  under- 
stand in  some  degree  the  ignorance,  poverty  and 
indebtedness  of  the  people.  One  of  the  most  noted 
churches  we  visited  to-day  was  that  of  San  Lorenzo, 
with  its  attachment  of  the  Medici  chapel,  the  burial 
place  of  the  Medici  family,  and  on  which,  though  still 
unfinished,  the  family  has  expended  three  and  one- 
half  million  dollars.  The  walls  are  of  the  costliest 
marbles  inlaid  with  semi-precious  stones.  Here  also 
are  two  of  Michael  Angelo's  masterpieces  in  the  shape 
of  sepulchral  monuments,  pronounced  by  Nathaniel 
Hawthorne  to  be  the  one  work  worthy  of  his  repu- 
tation. 

May  5. — This  morning  we  changed  the  programme 
a  little,  and  instead  of  starting  in  on  more  churches, 
we  began  our  rounds  with  a  visit  to  the  Academy  of 
Fine  Arts.  The  masterpiece  in  this  collection  is  the 
heroic  statue  of  David  by  Michael  Angelo.  Along  the 
walls  of  the  various  galleries  are  acres  of  paintings, 
mostly  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  by 
such  noted  artists  as  Fra  Angelico,  Fillipo  Lippi, 
Veracchio  and  Perugino.  From  here  we  strolled  to  the 
grounds  of  the  Palace  Pitti.  This  is  the  residence  of 
the  King  whenever  he  visits  Florence.  On  the  upper 
floor  is  the  Pitti  gallery,  containing  more  unmeasured 


124 

acres  of  beautiful  paintings,  many  of  them  counted 
among  the  world^s  masterpieces,  but  we  deferred 
visiting  them  until  another  day.  The  Palazzo 
Vecchio,  at  one  time  the  home  of  the  Medici  family 
and  the  place  of  Savonarola's  imprisonment  con- 
tains much  of  interest,  and  the  Palazzo-Riccardi,  also 
an  ancient  palace  of  the  Media  family,  contains  a  few 
square  miles  of  beautiful  paintings  and  a  chapel,  the 
beauty  and  costHness  of  its  adornments  being  alto- 
gether beyond  the  descriptive  power  of  a  layman. 
In  the  afternoon  we  visited  and  wandered  through 
the  Baboli  gardens  adjoining  the  Pitti  palace,  with  its 
long  avenues  of  fantastically  trimmed  trees,  with 
their  branches  trained  to  interlace  and  form  archways 
overhead.  In  almost  every  out  of  the  way  corner  and 
nook  one  comes  unexpectedly  upon  a  marble  statue 
of  some  once-prominent  Italian  statesman,  architect 
or  musician. 

May  6. — This  morning  we  visited  the  church  of 
Santa  Croce,  which  is  designated  by  all  the  guide 
books  as  the  Westminster  Abbey  of  Florence  because 
of  the  many  tombs,  tablets  and  memorials  of  her 
illustrious  dead.  Among  others  the  tomb  of  Michael 
Angelo,  of  Machiavelh,  of  Luigi  Lanzi  and  monu- 
ments to  Dante  and  Bruno  are  here.  Within  the 
church  are  half  a  dozen  or  more  chapels,  all  contain- 
ing beautiful  bas-reliefs,  frescoes  and  statues.  In  the 
chapel  of  the  Medici  lies  the  body  of  Galileo.  We 
next  proceeded  to  the  church  of  S.  Annunziata,  and, 
like  all  its  congeners,  it  is  filled  in  endless  variety 
with  frescoes,  mosaics,  monuments,  etc.,  and  in  one 
of  the  chapels  is  an  alleged  miraculous  picture  ofthe 
Virgin,  which,  it  is  said,  was  begun  by  mortal  hands 


125 

and  finished  by  an  angel.  This  is  so  sacred  that  it  is 
covered  up  and  visitors  are  rarely  allowed  to  see  it. 
We  were  among  the  unfortunates. 

In  the  afternoon  I  visited  the  Florentine  Fine  Arts 
gallery,  filled  with  copies  of  the  masterpieces,  as  well 
as  modern  paintings  and  statuary,  all  the  product 
of  Florentine  artists  and  all  for  sale.  I  must  confess 
that  the  improvement  in  color  and  touch  shown  by 
some  of  these  copies  over  the  originals  was  calculated 
to  confirm  a  long  existing  impression  in  my  mind  that 
all  the  skill,  beauty  and  cleverness  of  execution  in  the 
world  of  art  was  not  buried  in  the  tombs  of  the 
ancients.  One  very  beautiful  portrait  on  sale  here 
of  the  artist's  wife  interested  me  very  much,  and  I 
cast  a  longing  eye  upon  it  until,  on  inquiry,  I  found 
the  price  was  thirteen  thousand  francs  and  the  subse- 
quent proceedings  interested  me  no  more. 

May  7. — Spent  a  couple  of  hours  wandering  through 
the  halls  of  the  Uffizzi  gallery,  with  its  unending  num- 
ber of  paintings,  busts  and  statues.  We  have  had, 
as  we  thought,  a  profusion  of  these  things  before,  but 
they  dwindle  into  insignificance  in  comparison  with 
the  wealth  and  character  of  the  collection  exhibited 
in  this  gallery.  Its  collection  represents  the  chro- 
nological development  of  art,  beginning  with  the  four- 
teenth and  running  down  the  scale  of  centuries  since. 
Many  of  the  earlier,  and  a  considerable  number 
of  the  later  canvases  are  to  the  uneducated  eye  pos- 
sessed of  little  merit,  but  many  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury productions  are  masterpieces  of  the  world's 
most  famous  artists.  Of  all  this  collection  the  most 
beautiful  painting  is,  in  my  crude  and  inexperienced 
judgment,  Titian's  Flora.    Nearly  all  the  pictures 


126 

of  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries 
have  for  their  subject  the  Madonna  and  child,  the 
Crucifixion,  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  the  Annun- 
ciation and  other  incidents  of  the  fife  of  Christ,  and  in 
that  sense  are  very  monotonous.  One  large  gallery 
is  devoted  entirely  to  portraits  of  famous  artists,  each 
one  painted  by  himself.  In  the  afternoon  we  took 
the  tram  cars  to  Fiesole,  over  a  winding,  ascending 
and  switch-back  route,  until  we  reached  the  summit 
of  a  very  high  hill  from  whence  a  rarely  beautiful  view 
of  the  city  and  the  surrounding  country  is  obtained, 
and  where  the  yards  and  walls  surrounding  many  of 
the  houses  are  covered  with  great  masses  of  beautiful 
roses,  wistaria  and  other  flowers.  This  hill  was  the 
site  of  ancient  Florence  at  a  time  when  every  com- 
munity was  forced  to  provide  means  for  protecting 
itself  against  the  buccaneering  tendencies  of  its  next 
door  neighbor. 

May  8. — During  the  morning  visited  the  banking 
house  of  French,  Lemon  and  Co.,  where  a  number  of 
American  newspapers  are  kept  on  file.  The  political 
news  from  the  United  States  is  far  from  reassuring. 
Roosevelt  seems  to  still  maintain  his  hold  on  the 
canaille,  and  things  seem  to  be  rapidly  drifting  toward 
socialism  and  anarchy.  The  great  fetish  of  universal 
suffrage  that  we  have  so  devotedly  worshipped  is 
likely  to  prove  the  ultimate  downfall  of  the  republic. 
In  the  afternoon  visited  the  Pitti  gallery.  While  not 
so  large  as  the  Ufizzi,  it  contains  over  five  hundred 
paintings,  many  of  them  the  world  renowned  pro- 
ductions of  the  genius  of  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael, 
Titian  and  Rubens.  The  walls  of  the  long  galleries 
are  hterally  covered  with  these  works  of  art,  and  the 


127 

groined  and  arched  ceilings  are  beautified  by  the  most 
exquisite  of  frescoes.  The  contents  of  this  gallery- 
consist  of  the  accumulated  private  collections  of  the 
Grand  Dukes  of  Tuscany.  In  addition  to  the  paint- 
ings and  statuary  there  are  unnumbered  tables  of  the 
most  exquisite  workmanship,  the  tops  being  of  highly 
polished  marble  or  great  slabs  of  costly  malachite, 
onyx  or  agate,  and  in  each  case  most  beautifully 
inlaid  with  artistic  designs  in  mother-of-pearl,  lapis 
lazuli,  ivory  and  semi-precious  stones  of  great  variety, 
forming  pictures  of  radiant  beauty,  and  while  they 
are  made  of  thousands  of  minute  particles,  they  are 
so  artisticially  inlaid  and  joined  that  the  eye  cannot 
detect  the  line  of  cleavage  between  them. 

May  9. — After  a  morning  spent  in  shopping,  the 
afternoon  was  devoted  to  a  visit  to  the  Pitti  palace, 
and  an  inspection  of  this  occasional  residence  of  the 
King  of  Italy,  whenever  his  official  perambulations 
bring  him  within  the  precincts  of  Florence.  It  is 
open  on  Thursdays  to  visitors,  and  its  numerous 
rooms  are  furnished  with  a  splendor  and  adorned  with 
a  wealth  of  paintings,  statuary  and  tables  that  are 
dreams  of  beauty,  and  frescoes  that  chain  the  eye 
and  stimulate  the  imagination.  The  palace  has  a 
history  of  some  six  hundred  years  behind  it,  and  was 
built  by  a  wealthy  and  ambitious  merchant  named 
Luca  Pitti,  who  sought  to  drive  the  Medicis  from 
power;  though  temporarily  successful  he  was  later 
overthrown  by  them.  It  is  built  of  stone,  many  of 
the  blocks  of  an  immense  size,  even  as  much  as  twenty 
to  twenty-five  feet  in  length,  and  has  a  frontage  of 
the  main  building  of  nearly  six  hundred  feet,  with  a 
height  of  forty  feet  in  each  of  its  three  stories.  In  the 
afternoon  we  took  the  street  cars,  crossed  the  Arno, 


128 

and  ascended  to  the  summit  of  a  steep  hill  whereon 
stands  the  old  monastery  of  Certosini.  A  monk  in 
white  robes  and  long  white  beard,  who  looked  as  if  he 
might  be  a  contemporary  of  Christopher  Columbus, 
and  with  a  most  benign  and  peaceful  cast  of  counten- 
ance, guided  us  through  the  many  rooms  and  winding 
halls  of  the  old  stone  building.  On  the  walls  were 
many  ancient  frescoes,  showing  the  ravages  of  time, 
angels  with  broken  wings  and  mutilated  faces,  saints 
with  torn  robes,  crippled  legs  and  short  one  eye,  were 
scattered  about  in  reckless  profusion.  After  viewing 
the  curiosities  and  mysteries  of  the  old  rookery  we 
were  led  to  the  sales  room  and  turned  over  to  the 
mercies  of  the  vendors  of  postal  cards,  perfumeries 
and  sundry  kinds  of  wines  and  cordials  alleged  to  be 
made  on  the  premises  by  the  monks,  with  the  sug- 
gestion that  we  make  liberal  purchases.  The  view 
from  the  hill  and  balcony  of  the  monastery  is  fine  and 
expansive,  though  not  equal  to  that  from  Fiesole. 

May  10. — Rested  all  day  preparatory  to  starting 
for  Venice  to-morrow  morning. 

May  11. — Got  an  early  morning  start  for  Venice. 
After  an  hour  or  so  the  country  became  hilly  and 
mountainous,  and  we  gradually  ascended  the  moun- 
tains through  a  series  of  ninety  tunnels,  crossing  the 
Reno  River  some  eighteen  or  twenty  times.  The 
country  looked  fresh  and  beautiful,  following  recent 
spring  rains,  and  gave  evidence  of  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. The  weather  was  bright  and  almost  too 
warm  for  comfort.  The  grapes  here,  as  well  as 
throughout  all  Northern  Italy,  are  trained  to  run  on 
trees,  which  are  planted  in  rows,  and  the  limbs,  with 


129 

the  exception  of  two  or  three  leaders,  are  cut  back 
closely.  By  this  means  the  grape  vines  are  carried 
in  a  trelhs  or  arbor  from  tree  to  tree,  and  the  leaves 
of  the  trees  afford  considerable  protection  to  the 
grapes,  from  the  heat  of  the  summer's  sun.  We 
reached  Bologna,  where  the  train  waited  for  half  an 
hour,  and  then  proceeded.  An  hour  later  the  con- 
ductor came  through  the  car  as  we  reached  Modena, 
and  informed  us  we  were  on  the  way  to  Milan  instead 
of  Venice.  We  hustled  off  with  our  baggage  and  after 
an  exciting  and  ludicrous  interview  with  the  ticket 
agent  and  a  wait  of  two  hours,  took  a  return  train  to 
Bologna,  and  after  another  detention  of  half  an  hour, 
boarded  the  train  to  Venice,  where  we  arrived  about 
dusk,  and  paid  four  francs  to  a  gondolier  for  steering 
us  through  a  maze  of  winding  and  dirty  canals  and 
between  rows  of  tall,  blackened  and  begrimed  build- 
ings, until  at  last  we  landed  at  the  Casa  Frolla  hotel 
on  La  Guidecca  Island.  At  Battaglia,  before  reach- 
ing Padua,  on  the  way  to  Venice,  there  is  to  be  seen 
on  a  high  hill,  the  Chateau  of  Cattajo,  which  now 
belongs  to  the  Duke  of  Modena.  It  is  surrounded 
by  very  extensive  grounds,  the  hillsides  being  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  growth  of  forest  trees  and  under- 
brush, amidst  which  could  be  seen  a  number  of  deer. 
The  approach  to  Venice  is  made  through  a  cause- 
way built  across  the  lagoon  and  flanked  on  both  sides 
by  numerous  small  islets  and  by  a  bridge  more  than 
two  miles  in  length,  and  having  over  two  hundred 
arches.  At  Brentna  station,  a  few  miles  before 
reaching  Venice,  there  is  a  somewhat  distant  view  of 
the  Tyrolese  Alps.  Actualities  are  seldom  painted 
with  the  filmy  brush  and  iridescent  colors  of  a  dream, 
and  so  it  is  that  while  Venice  is  in  a  class  entirely  by 
1677—9 


130 

itself  and  is  wonderful  and  curious  beyond  compare, 
the  first  impressions  I  gathered  from  our  approach 
in  the  dull  gloom  of  a  tiresome  day's  journey  did  not 
meet  my  preconceived  ideas  of  the  beauty  and  grand- 
eur of  its  marble  palaces,  the  clear  and  limpid  waters 
of  its  multiphed  canals  and  the  gaily  decorated  gon- 
dolas with  the  musical  and  interesting  personalities 
of  their  gondohers  of  which  I  had  heard  and  read  so 
much.  Perhaps  a  night  of  restful  slumber  within  the 
precincts  of  this  historic  old  palace,  notwithstanding 
its  mildewed  walls  and  musty  atmosphere,  will  be- 
get a  refreshing  and  renewed  zeal  in  the  sight-seeing 
of  the  week  to  come. 

May  12. — Boarded  a  little  steamer  this  morning, 
fare  one  penny,  and  crossed  the  canal  Delia  Guidecca, 
landing  at  the  Piazza  di  San  Marco,  a  large  open  space 
paved  with  stone  and  forming  the  principal  place  of 
promenade  for  the  people  summer  evenings  and  dur- 
ing festival  occasions.  Here  are  located  the  famous 
church  of  St.  Mark  and  the  Campanile,  recently  recon- 
structed and  dedicated,  the  old  one  having  fallen  in 
1902  after  standing  since  the  tenth  century.  Cross- 
ing the  square  we  entered  the  Palace  of  the  Doges, 
and  for  hours  stood  in  or  walked  through  its  multiple 
rooms  and  galleries,  with  their  walls  literally  covered 
with  historic  paintings  and  their  groined  and  lofty 
ceilings  finished  in  gorgeous  gilt  or  richly  beautiful 
frescoes. 

As  Ruskin  says,  ''the  multitude  of  works  by  vari- 
ous masters  which  cover  the  walls  of  this  palace,  is  so 
great  that  the  traveler  is  in  general  wearied  and  con- 
fused by  them."  The  multiplicity  of  paintings  cover- 
ing the  same  scriptural  subject  not  only  here  in 


131 

Venice,  but  at  Rome  and  Florence,  is  calculated  to 
burden  the  mind  and  confuse  the  understanding 
with  its  monotony.  The  Madonna  and  Child,  the 
Worship  of  the  Magi,  the  Crucifixion,  the  Descent 
from  the  Cross,  the  Entombment  of  Christ,  the  Coro- 
nation of  the  Virgin,  the  Last  Supper,  the  Virgin  in 
Glory,  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Bartholomew,  the 
Agony  in  the  Garden,  the  Annunciation,  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  and  numerous  other  biblical  subjects  are 
to  be  found  in  endless  repetition  wherever  you  enter 
an  Italian  gallery  or  church. 

In  this  respect  the  gallery  of  the  Doges'  Palace  is  in 
some  degree  relieved  by  its  many  paintings,  having 
a  distinct  application  to  the  momentous  events  in  the 
history  of  Venice.  From  the  Doges'  Palace  we  took 
the  steamer  again  for  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  and 
took  a  ''time  limit''  view  of  its  marvelous  collection 
of  pictures  and  frescoes  arranged  along  the  walls  of 
twenty  or  more  large  rooms  or  galleries.  While  at 
the  Doges'  Palace  we  crossed  the  famous  Bridge  of 
Sighs,  which  is  a  comparatively  insignificant  structure 
connecting  the  palace  with  the  former  prison  on  the 
opposite  side  of  a  narrow  canal.  This  evening  the 
Piazza  di  San  Marco  was  brilliantly  illuminated  by 
thousands  of  yellow  and  white  electric  lights  covering 
the  entire  front  of  the  buildings,  and  a  band  of  seventy 
five  pieces  discoursed  music  until  midnight.  The 
square  was  thronged  with  people,  principally  of  the 
poorer  classes,  and  two  things  were  particularly  notice- 
able, one  that  rarely  do  you  see  a  grown  person  and 
never  a  child  wearing  spectacles,  and  secondly,  that 
the  women  over  twenty-five  years  of  age  all  show 
marked  evidences  of  a  life  of  hard  work  and  early 
loss  of  youth  and  beauty.     In  travehng  throughout 


132 

Italy  in  the  country,  the  field  and  farm  work  is  car- 
ried on  by  men  and  women  side  by  side  with  no 
apparent  discrimination.  The  weather  has  been 
beautifully  balmy  and  springlike  ever  since  the  day 
following  our  arrival  at  Florence.  Roses  and  other 
flowers  are  blooming  in  profusion  and  are  as  large  and 
beautiful,  though  not  in  such  unlimited  quantitites  as 
one  sees  in  California.  Referring  again  to  the  Palace 
of  the  Doges,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  it  contains 
the  largest  picture  ever  painted  on  canvas.  It  is  the 
"Glory  of  Paradise,''  by  Tintoretto  and  is  84x24  feet. 

May  13. — This  morning  we  visited  the  great  church 
of  St.  Mark's.  It  was  almost  arelief  to  find  that  there 
is  but  one  oil  painting  in  the  entire  building  and  that 
is  of  no  particular  consequence,  but  the  marvelous 
and  all  pervading  display  of  mosaics  is  something 
far  beyond  anything  we  have  yet  seen,  and  they 
cover  forty-six  thousand  square  feet  of  space.  The 
church  is  filled  with  columns  and  statues  and  altars 
and  floors  of  marble  from  almost  every  then  known 
quarry  in  the  world.  It  is  filled  with  rare  and  beau- 
tiful specimens  and  articles  of  porphyry,  jasper  and 
verd-antique  stolen  in  the  days  of  Venetian  com- 
mercial supremacy  from  Tyre,  Greece,  Constanti- 
nople and  Egypt.  There  is  a  golden  altar  piece  that 
was  stolen  from  Constantinople  which  is  wrought  on 
plates  of  gold,  and  is  lavishly  set  with  pearls  and 
precious  stones  of  every  description.  There  are  four 
fluted  columns  of  alabaster  said  to  have  belonged 
to  Solomon's  Temple  and  stolen  from  Palestine  in  the 
days  of  Venetian  power.  An  alleged  chair  of  St. 
Mark  and  part  of  the  skull  of  St.  John,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  a  piece  of  the  true  cross  and  a  crystal  vase 


133 

containing  some  of  the  Saviour's  blood,  are  among  the 
much  prized  treasures  of  the  church.  Altogether  it  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  places  we  have  yet  seen. 
In  the  afternoon  we  took  passage  on  a  small  steamer 
for  the  island  of  Lido  or  Malamocco,  which  is  a 
fifteen  minutes  ride  out  toward  the  open  Adriatic 
Sea  and  where  there  are  numerous  fine  hotels,  hand- 
some grounds,  entrancingly  beautiful  flower  gardens, 
a  long,  sandy,  sloping  beach  and  a  great  bathing 
pavilion.  Notwithstanding  the  earliness  of  the 
season,  many  people  of  both  sexes  were  disporting 
themselves  in  the  surf  without  apparent  discomfort. 

May  14- — We  are  having  balmy  spring  weather 
such  as  even  California  in  beautiful  May  need  not  be 
ashamed  of.  It  is  perfect  for  sightseeing  and  we  are 
making  the  most  of  it  in  this  quaint,  unique  old  city, 
with  its  one  hundred  and  fifty  canals  and  four  hun- 
dred bridges;  with  its  innumerable  picturesque  and 
graceful  gondolas;  with  its  so-called  marble  palaces, 
rising  sheer  from  the  water's  edge,  once  possibly 
handsome  as  well  as  substantial,  but  now  corroded, 
blackened  and  disfigured  by  the  united  action  of  time 
and  weather;  with  its  narrow  and  crooked  lanes  pre- 
sumptuously called  streets,  many  of  which  can  be 
spanned  from  wall  to  wall  with  outstretched  arms 
and  with  its  funny  little  shops  and  stores  scarcely 
larger  than  an  American  kitchen,  filled  to  their 
utmost  capacity  with  everything  from  second  hand 
bottles  to  the  most  exquisite  handiwork  in  Venetian 
glass  and  mosaics.  In  no  place  as  yet  have  we  found 
sightseeing  less  fatiguing,  more  surprising  and  clothed 
with  greater  charm  than  in  this  bridal  city  of  the 
Adriatic.    We   spent   the  morning  strolling   again 


134 

through  the  always  beautiful  interesting  and  instruct- 
ive corridors  and  auditorium  of  St.  Mark's  Church, 
and  about  the  shops  dickering  with  the  ever  eager 
merchants  for  pictures  and  beads  and  the  ever  ubiqui- 
ous  postal  cards.  In  the  afternoon  through,  the 
medium  of  a  delightful  gondola  ride  we  landed  at  the 
Island  of  Murano,  the  home  of  the  celebrated  Venetian 
glassworks,  and  witnessed  not  only  the  process  of 
manufacture,  but  the  wonderful  collection  of  mirrors, 
chandeliers,  glassware  and  mosaics  of  every  descrip- 
tion. 

May  15. — Took  a  boat  this  morning  and  for  two 
cents  apiece  rode  the  whole  length  of  the  Grand  Canal 
and  return.  Boat  riding  is  about  the  only  cheap 
thing  here.  Seeing  some  nice  looking  prunes  in  a 
shop  window,  I  was  reminded  of  home  and  beset  with 
a  desire  to  taste  them,  so  I  went  in  and  bought  a 
pound  and  almost  had  a  case  of  heart  failure  when  I 
was  required  to  cough  up  forty  cents  for  them.  The 
afternoon  was  used  up  in  strolling  among  the  shops  of 
various  kinds.  The  history  of  Venice  is  an  entranc- 
ing romance  filled  with  incidents  that  illustrate  the 
ever  recurring  lights  and  shadows  of  prosperity  and 
disaster,  fulfilment  and  destruction  of  human  hopes, 
ambitions  and  efforts.  Her  foundation  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  years  ago  amid  the  islands  and 
lagoons  of  the  Adriatic,  was  the  act  of  a  plundered 
and  despairing  people  driven  from  their  prosperous 
homes  on  the  mainland  by  the  scourging  incursions 
of  Alaric  and  his  Visigoths,  followed  by  the  atrocious 
Attila  and  his  butchering  cohorts  of  Huns.  Begin- 
ning their  new  abode  with  humble  mud  huts  and 
finding  a  modest  subsistence  in  their  occupation  as 


135 

fishermen,  their  gradual  evolution  into  a  community 
of  sailors  whose  vessels  boldly  launched  out  upon  the 
surrounding  waste  of  waters  and  carried  their  dis- 
coveries and  their  commerce  to  the  remotest  ports 
and  peoples  of  the  Mediterranean,  continued  uninter- 
ruptedly during  the  period  of  gradual  disintegration 
and  overthrow  of  the  Western  Roman  Empire.  For 
more  than  five  centuries  the  commercial  power  and 
importance  of  Venice  gradually  expanded  until  the 
era  of  the  Crusades  brought  them  new  power  and 
increased  wealth.  Possessing  the  most  numerous 
fleet  they  became  the  medium  of  transport  for  the 
crusading  hosts  to  the  Holy  Land  and  with  the  aid  of 
the  French  Crusaders  conquered  Constantinople 
about  the  year  1200  and  added  largely  to  their  pos- 
sessions. One  hundred  and  fifty  years  later  a  return- 
ing swing  of  the  pendulum  deprived  them  of  all  this 
territorial  gain,  only  to  be  again  recovered  and  greatly 
enhanced  by  a  series  of  conquests  lasting  to  the  close 
of  the  fifteenth  century.  From  this  time  her  glory 
and  power  began  to  fade,  the  first  heavy  blow  to  her 
commerce  being  the  Portuguese  discovery  of  the  new 
route  to  India  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Dis- 
astrous wars  with  the  Turks  followed  and  finally 
the  all-conquering  Napoleon  took  possession  and  the 
last  of  the  Doges  laid  aside  the  Ducal  bonnet,  just 
eleven  hundred  years  after  the  election  of  his  first 
predecessor.  The  city  was  looted  by  the  French  and 
despoiled  of  her  jewels,  paintings,  statues  and  manu- 
scripts, including  the  rich  and  historic  treasures  which 
Venice  herself  in  the  height  of  her  buccaneering 
exploits  had  wrested  from  Egj^t,  Greece,  Palestine 
and  Turkey. 


136 

May  16. — Boarded  an  excursion  boat  from  St. 
Mark's  for  Chioggio,  an  island  about  eighteen  miles 
south  of  Venice.  The  weather  was  pleasant  and  the 
trip  very  interesting.  On  one  side  is  the  Laguna  Viva, 
or  live  lagoon,  a  shallow  stretch  of  water  with  here 
and  there  a  small  patch  of  green  or  a  yellow  sand  bar, 
barely  showing  its  naked  body  above  the  water  line. 
On  the  other  side  you  pass  a  continuing  series  of 
fully  developed  islands,  some  of  them  small  and 
round,  with  only  a  few  acres,  and  others  such  as  Mala- 
mocco,  Palestrina  and  Chioggia  are  each  several 
miles  in  length  but  at  most  points  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  wide.  Each  one  of  these  islands  contains  a 
village  or  town,  the  houses  being  of  ancient  and 
quaint  design,  and  not  a  new  house  has  been  built  or 
an  old  one  repaired  for  at  least  three  hundred  years. 
The  trip  to  Chioggia  consumed  two  hours,  and  an 
hour  elapsed  between  the  arrival  and  departure  of  the 
boat,  so  that  we  had  opportunity  to  stroll  through 
the  town  and  look  at  the  beautiful  women,  for  which 
the  misleading  and  imaginative  guide  book  says  it  has 
long  been  noted.  We  looked  into  one  or  two  of  the 
numerous  churches  and  found  them,  as  usual,  deco- 
rated with  paintings  and  mosaics,  and  with  images  of 
Christ  on  the  cross  in  every  niche  and  corner.  The 
return  trip  landed  us  at  our  lodgings  in  time  for  dinner. 

May  17. — Began  raining  in  the  early  morning  and 
continued  until  noon  with  a  very  cold  wind,  and  when 
it  cleared  off  in  the  afternoon  the  mountains  were 
displayed  with  their  sides  covered  halfway  down  with 
fresh  snow. 

May  18. — Wandered  around  the  city  during  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  started  out  to  find  the 


137 

church  of  Santa  Maria  Formosa.  Securing  a  general 
direction,  we  walked  through  numerous  narrow  and 
winding  streets  or  alleys  lined  with  shops  of  all  descrip- 
tions and  fairly  teeming  with  thousands  of  people; 
crossed  numerous  bridges,  entered  wrong  churches, 
butted  up  against  closed  walls  and  were  compelled  to 
change  our  course  and  seek  other  outlets,  but  finally, 
after  an  hour  or  more,  were  directed  to  the  right  place. 
The  church  was  built  the  same  year  that  Columbus 
discovered  America.  It  had  the  usual  number  of, 
altars,  the  multiplied  images  of  the  crucifixion  and  the 
usual  marble  floor.  A  number  of  paintings  adorned 
its  walls,  only  one  of  which  possessed  any  particular 
merit  and  that  was  Vecchio^s  Santa  Barbara  and 
Saints.  Leaving  the  church  we  again  lost  our  direc- 
tion and  finally,  after  more  prospecting  through 
devious  and  winding  thoroughfares,  we  came  out  at 
the  Rialto  bridge,  some  two  miles  from  our  starting 
point.  After  returning  by  boat  to  St.  Mark's  Square 
we  visited  the  public  library,  where  are  to  be  found 
many  magnificent  specimens  of  illuminated  books, 
handsomely  bound  in  leather,  ivory  and  brass,  and 
dating  back  to  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 
Also  a  notable  collection  of  early  autographs  and 
maps.  We  also  went  through  the  various  rooms  of 
the  King's  Palace,  but  found  them  not  so  elegant  or 
interesting  as  the  one  at  Florence. 

May  19. — Did  not  go  out  until  noon  and  then 
simply  took  another  stroll  through  the  galleries  of  the 
Palace  of  the  Doges  and  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Mark. 
The  allegation  that  the  body  of  St.  Mark  is  buried  in 
the  shrine  of  the  cathedral  is  founded  upon  a  legend 
that  three  seamen  of  a  Venetian  ship  lying  in  the 


138 

harbor  of  Alexandria  conceived  the  project  of  steal- 
ing the  body  from  the  tomb,  replacing  it  with  another 
body,  carrying  it  aboard  ship  and  sailing  for  Venice. 
With  the  aid  and  connivance  of  the  guardian  of  the 
tomb  this  was  accomplished,  and  the  thieves  were 
welcomed  with  great  ceremony  and  thanksgiving  by 
the  Venetian  clergy  and  thenceforward  St.  Mark 
became  the  patron  saint  of  Venice.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  years  later,  in  the  midst  of  civil  strife,  the  cathe- 
dral of  St.  Mark  was  burned  and  all  knowledge  of  the 
location  of  the  body  of  the  patron  saint  was  lost  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years.  When  the  new  cathe- 
dral was  ready  for  consecration  and  after  a  solemn 
fast  and  procession,  a  great  Hght  shone  from  a  pillar 
near  the  altar,  part  of  the  masonry  fell  away,  the 
body  was  found  and  the  joy  and  thanksgiving  of  the 
people  was  universal.  More  than  seven  hundred 
years  after,  that  is  about  a  century  ago,  the  alleged 
body  was  rediscovered  in  a  marble  tomb  in  the  crypt. 
If  you  have  any  doubt  about  the  truth  or  authenticity 
of  the  above  statement,  I  can  prove  it  by  reference 
to  any  pious  and  patriotic  native  of  the  Queen  City  of 
the  Adriatic. 

May  20, — Left  our  hotel  in  Venice  this  morning  via 
gondola  and  wound  our  way  amidst  the  intricacies  of 
numerous  narrow  canals,  congested  to  the  limit  with 
hundreds  of  gondolas,  to  the  railway  station,  where 
we  took  the  train  for  Milan.  The  country  was  on 
dress  parade,  clothed  in  its  freshest  and  fairest  of 
spring  garments.  On  every  hand  were  evidences  of 
industry  and  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  Or- 
chards, vineyards,  gardens  and  meadows,  sweet  with 
the  odor  of  new  mown  hay,  joined  each  other  in  end- 


139 

less  succession.  Not  an  inch  of  ground  was  wasted 
and  a  most  complete  system  of  irrigation,  sustained 
by  the  generous  allowance  from  numerous  mountain 
streams,  rendered  the  farmer  independent  of  drouth. 
We  passed  through  Padua,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
Italy,  dating  back  to  the  days  immediately  following 
the  fall  of  Troy;  then  through  Vicenza,  Mantua  and 
Verona,  the  latter  beautifully  situated  upon  the 
River  Adige,  a  clear,  swift  mountain  stream,  and  the 
reputed  scene  of  the  amours  of  Romeo  and  Juliet. 
Next  comes  Brescia  with  its  silk,  woolen  and  linen 
manufactories,  but  halfway  between  Verona  and 
Brescia  we  skirt  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Garda,  the 
largest  of  the  Italian  lakes  and  lying  like  a  superb 
sapphire  amidst  its  emerald  surroundings  at  the  foot 
of  the  Eastern  Alps.  We  reached  Milan  at  3  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  and  took  up  our  quarters  at  the 
Hotel  du  Nord,  near  the  railway  station.  After 
dinner  we  took  the  street  cars  to  the  great  cathedral, 
the  grace  and  beauty  of  whose  numberless  spires  and 
carvings  and  statues  I  shall  not,  through  very  poverty 
of  expression,  attempt  to  describe.  In  the  presence 
of  such  a  structure  adjectives  are  without  force  and 
superlatives  are  unavailing. 

May  21. — Spent  all  the  morning  in  a  delightful 
inspection  of  the  wonders  within  the  walls  of  the  great 
cathedral.  No  preconceived  ideas  of  its  vastness  or 
of  the  infinity  of  detail  in  its  construction  are  com- 
mensurate with  its  actuality.  To  receive  any  in- 
telligent conception,  one  must  have  personal  vision. 
During  our  stay  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  witness  a 
very  elaborate  church  service  which  was  participated 
in  by  thirty  or  forty  priests  and  by  the  cathedral 


140 

choir.  For  a  fee  of  one  franc  each  we  were  shown  the 
Treasury  which  contains  two  full  length  statues  in 
solid  silver  of  St.  Ambrose  and  San  Carlo,  together 
with  the  smaller  statues  of  gold  and  a  great  number  of 
solid  silver  crosses  and  candelabra  ornamented  with 
precious  stones  of  every  variety.  The  stained  glass 
windows  of  the  cathedral  are  enriched  with  scenes 
that  represent  almost  every  incident  of  historical 
note  in  both  the  old  and  new  testaments.  After  sev- 
eral hours  spent  in  the  body  of  the  chiu-ch  we  climbed 
the  stairway  to  the  roof  of  the  main  building,  crossed 
the  roof  to  the  main  tower  and  ascended  an  almost 
interminable  winding  staircase  to  the  top,  whence 
one  could  look  down  upon  the  innumerable  spires  and 
statues  that  crowned  the  vast  edifice.  Unfortunately 
the  atmosphere  was  very  foggy  and  smoky  and  the 
view  was  Hmited  to  the  city  and  its  immediate  sur- 
roundings. Leaving  the  cathedral  we  visited  the 
church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Grazie,  in  the  refectory  of 
which  is  the  original  of  Leonardi  da  Vinci's  famous 
picture  of  the  last  supper.  The  picture  is  dreadfully 
marred  by  time  and  rough  usage  and  having  been 
retouched  several  times  by  indifferent  artists,  prob- 
ably bears  but  httle  resemblance  to  the  original. 
Later  in  the  afternoon  we  took  a  "circumvallatione'^ 
car  and  made  a  circuit  of  the  entire  city. 

May  22. — ^A  heavy  shower  which  began  last  night 
continued  throughout  the  forenoon  and  our  plans  for 
a  trip  to  Lake  Como  were  therefore  deferred.  In 
the  afternoon  we  made  another  visit  to  the  great 
cathedral  and  also  to  the  King's  Palace,  where  we 
were  shown  through  room  after  room  containing 
beautiful  frescoes,  tapestries  and  furniture,  together 


141 

with  numerous  marble  busts  of  Napoleon  by  Canova 
and  other  great  sculptors.  We  also  visited  La  Scala, 
the  great  theatre  or  opera  house,  said  to  be  with  the 
exception  of  San  Carlo  at  Naples,  the  largest  theatre 
in  Europe,  with  five  tiers  of  boxes  around  the  whole 
auditorium,  each  box  having  a  dressing  room,  and  the 
entire  theatre  having  a  seating  capacity  of  thirty-six 
hundred  people,  with  a  stage  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  deep. 

May  23. — Left  this  morning  for  Como,  reaching 
there  in  one  hour  and  immediately  boarded  the  boat 
for  a  trip  down  the  lake  as  far  as  Menaggio;  thence 
by  cars  we  crossed  to  Porlezza  on  Lake  Lugano; 
thence  down  Lake  Lugano  to  the  town  of  the  same 
name,  where  we  took  the  cars  for  the  return  trip  to 
Como  and  Milan,  reaching  the  latter  place  in  time  for 
dinner.  The  beauty  of  the  scenery  along  both  lakes 
reminds  one  in  many  respects  of  Lake  George.  Sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  lofty  and  picturesque  moun- 
tain peaks  reaching  precipitously  to  the  water's  edge 
and  clothed  to  their  very  summits  in  garments  of 
richest  green,  with  numerous  villages  hugging  the 
shores  and  the  hillsides  dotted  in  all  directions  with 
cottages  and  summer  hotels  and  the  clear  green 
waters  of  the  lakes  flecked  with  steamboats  and 
pleasure  craft,  a  picture  of  rare  beauty  is  painted  upon 
the  face  of  nature.  Throughout  the  whole  trip  from 
Milan  and  return  I  have  noted  the  almost  total 
absence  of  domestic  animals;  no  horses,  cattle,  sheep 
or  even  goats  being  in  evidence  along  the  route, 
although  ever3rwhere  you  see  the  farmers  cutting  and 
raking  their  small  patches  of  hay,  creating  the  sup- 
position that  there  is  something  besides  human 
animals  to  be  fed. 


142 

Our  tour  of  Italy  is  practically  finished  as  we  leave 
Milan  for  Geneva  to-morrow  morning.  The  local 
differences  in  Italy  are  perhaps  more  marked  than  in 
any  other  country  in  Europe  in  the  sphere  of  manners, 
customs,  daily  life  and  domestic  economy.  While 
each  individual  province  or  state  portrays  marked 
distinctions  of  character  and  temperament,  the  great 
and  general  differences  are  marked  and  bounded  geo- 
graphically into  Southern  and  Northern  Italy.  The 
South  is  given  over  almost  exclusively  to  agriculture 
and  poverty.  The  North  is  largely  inudstrial,  full 
of  activity,  absorbent  of  modern  progressive  ideas 
and  from  a  European  standpoint  reasonably  pros- 
perous. Politics  and  patriotism  are  live  issues  in  the 
North,  while  apathy  and  indifference  cast  a  bhght 
over  the  South.  While  more  than  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  population  of  Sicily  and  Naples  is  illiterate,  the 
average  in  the  northern  provinces  is  only  about  fifteen 
per  cent. 

In  criminality,  also,  the  difference  is  even  greater, 
the  statistics  showing  that  while  the  murders  in  the 
south  average  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  in  each  one 
hundred  thousand  of  population,  the  northern  prov- 
inces average  only  two  and  one-half  to  three  and  to 
our  detriment  and  warning  it  must  be  remarked 
that  the  bulk  of  our  now  enormous  Italian  immigra- 
tion comes  from  the  southern  provinces,  where  is 
found  the  home  of  the  Mafia  and  the  Camorra. 

Northern  Italians  look  with  more  or  less  contempt 
upon  their  southern  brethren  and  this  is  returned  by 
a  full  reciprocity  of  jealousy  bordering  on  hate  by 
the  latter.  For  hundreds  of  years  prior  to  the 
national  unification  of  Italy,  each  province,  and  in 
many  instances,  each  city  and  town  maintained  a 


143 

sort  of  individual  independence  and  hedged  itself 
about  with  its  own  local  manners,  customs,  and  occu- 
pations; developed  its  own  political  system,  differ- 
entiated its  own  social  life  and  in  fact  was  a  little 
world  in  itself.  Even  now  many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  smaller  towns  have  little  knowledge  of  what  is 
transpiring  outside  their  own  walls  and  care  less. 

All  these  differences  are  more  or  less  incidental  to  a 
diversity  of  dialects  that  exist  in  the  various  prov- 
inces, as  well  as  to  a  diversity  in  the  local  forms  of 
government  under  which  the  different  localities  have 
from  time  to  time  existed,  varying  from  the  most 
liberal  democracy  to  the  most  crushing  tyranny.  Not- 
withstanding all  these  differences  and  the  contrast  of 
interests  that  characterize  the  different  sections  of  the 
country,  it  would  be  hard  to  find  any  considerable 
number  of  Italians  from  the  toe  of  the  boot  to  its 
northernmost  strap,  who  would  listen  for  one  moment 
to  any  proposition  for  a  divided  nationality.  The 
standard  of  living  in  Italy  is  on  so  low  a  level  as 
to  challenge  the  credulity  of  the  average  American 
employer  who  has  been  subjected  to  the  arbitrary 
demands  of  our  foreign  controlled  labor  unions. 
Skilled  labor  finds  its  compensation  for  ten  or  twelve 
hours  of  drudgery  in  a  sum  ranging  from  what  in  om' 
currency  would  be  twenty-five  cents  to  one  dollar. 
Farm  and  orchard  laborers  receive  from  sixteen  to 
thirty  cents  in  Central  and  Northern  Italy,  while  in 
the  south  it  more  often  ranges  from  ten  to  fifteen 
cents.  Of  course,  with  such  a  compensation  the 
daily  diet  is  necessarily  of  the  simplest  and  most 
frugal  character.  That  of  the  laboring  classes  con- 
sists almost  wholly  of  wheat  or  corn  bread,  vegetables 
and  fruit,  but  meat  is  seldom  tasted  except  on  rare 


144 

feast  days.  The  very  general  consumption  of 
"polenta''  a  preparation  of  maize,  is  alleged  to  be  the 
cause  of  the  widespread  skin  disease,  pellagra.  Pov- 
erty and  wealth  are  not  so  apt  to  be  restricted  to 
separate  localities  in  the  cities  and  towns,  as  is  often 
the  case  in  America.  Associated  milhonaires  are  not 
communistically  gathered  for  residential  purposes  on 
Nob  Hills  and  Fifth  Avenues,  but  you  will  very  fre- 
quently find  pride  and  poverty,  palaces  and  hovels  in 
neighborly  propinquity.  Indeed,  I  am  told  that  often 
a  family  of  wealth  will  occupy  with  much  ostentation 
one  floor  of  a  dwelling,  while  the  upper  or  the  base- 
ment floors  may  be  filled  with  those  who  are  strug- 
gling against  the  demands  of  the  most  grinding 
poverty  and  destitution.  Considerable  of  our  so- 
called  progressive  legislation  of  the  Roosevelt- 
Johnson  type  is  already  in  vogue  in  Italy.  That 
phase  of  state  socialism  known  as  the  employers'  li- 
ability act  obliges  every  employer  to  insure  his 
employes  against  accident,  and  if  any  one  of  them 
is  killed  or  totally  disabled,  even  though  it  be  occa- 
sioned by  his  own  viciousness  or  carelessness,  his 
family  is  paid  a  sum  equal  to  five  years  wages  in  the 
first  instance,  or  to  an  equivalent  pension  in  the 
second  instance.  The  people,  even  of  the  cities  and 
towns,  are  much  given  to  outdoor  life.  The  streets 
and  cafes  or  gardens  are  the  resort  of  all  classes, 
individually  and  in  family  groups.  They  resort 
there  for  light  luncheon  or  drink  and  to  discuss  all 
questions  of  domestic  or  public  importance.  In  fine 
weather  half  the  sidewalk  or  street  will  be  filled  with 
tables  in  front  of  the  cafes,  where  crowds  gather  to 
enjoy  their  moments  of  leisure.  No  attention  seems 
to  be  paid  to  warmth  or  comfort  in  the  Italian  houses 


145 

of  either  a  public  or  private  character.  There  seems 
to  be  a  legendary  notion  that  Italy  is  a  warm  country, 
and  at  certain  seasons  there  may  be  some  truth  in  it, 
but  in  winter  or  early  spring  there  are  raw  cold  winds 
that  send  shivers  up  and  down  the  foreign  spine  and 
for  which  the  only  refuge  is  to  put  on  your  heavy 
overcoat  or  go  to  bed  and  cover  up.  It  reminds  one 
of  the  old  days  in  San  Francisco,  when  there  were  no 
furnaces  and  few  lighted  grates  and  the  hostess  sat 
enveloped  in  heavy  wraps  while  entertaining  her 
half-frozen  callers. 

The  houses  are  of  stone,  the  floors  are  of  stone,  and 
the  absence  of  carpets  renders  contact  with  the  bare 
feet  in  the  early  morning  a  peculiarly  uncomfortable 
infliction.  The  franchise  in  Italy  has  property  quali- 
fications, with  some  special  exceptions  in  favor  of 
veteran  soldiers,  government  officials,  university 
graduates,  etc.,  but  the  totality  of  those  entitled  to 
its  privileges  does  not  exceed  seven  per  cent  of  the 
total  population,  and  of  these  not  over  fifty  per  cent 
on  an  average,  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege. 

May  2Ji., — Left  Milan  this  morning  for  Geneva. 
Passed  through  a  fine  agricultural  country,  reaching 
Lake  Maggiore,  along  whose  level  and  uninteresting 
banks  we  rode  for  a  number  of  miles,  contrasting 
greatly  with  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Lakes  Como  and 
Lugano.  From  here  our  ascent  was  gradual  but 
continuous,  amidst  increasing  grandeur  of  scenery, 
to  Iselle,  where  the  train  enters  the  Simplon  tunnel, 
the  longest  work  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  for  more 
than  twelve  miles  speeds  through  this  underground 
passage,  seven  thousand  feet  below  the  summit  of 
the  mountain.  The  train  is  conducted  through  by 
1677 — 10 


146 

electric  power  and  the  car  windows  are  closed  to  keep 
out  the  heat.  It  emerges  near  Brigue,  where  you  have 
magnificent  views  on  either  side  of  the  snow-clad 
Wasserhorn  and  Spaarhorn.  From  here  to  Villeneuve, 
on  Lake  Geneva,  the  journey  almost  is  one  continu- 
ous recurrence  of  inspiring  views,  of  snow-clad  moun- 
tains, silvery  cascades,  dark  and  disagreeable  tunnels, 
ancient  castle  ruins  and  picturesque  Svfiss  villages 
streaking  the  hillsides  and  narrow  valley  of  the  Rhone, 
which  stream  has  its  beginning  in  the  glacier  of  the 
same  name  near  St.  Gothard.  From  Villeneuve  the 
railroad  skirts  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Geneva,  passing 
through  Montreux,  Vevey,  Lausanne  and  sundry 
other  towns  and  villages,  composed  for  the  most  part 
of  hotels,  apartment  houses,  and  pensions  for  the 
accomodation  of  tourists.  Reaching  Geneva  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  we  found  comfortable  accom- 
modations, previously  engaged,  and  readjusted  our- 
selves for  further  sight-seeing. 

We  have  been  met  with  extra  charges  for  almost 
every  conceivable  thing  all  along  the  line  of  our  jour- 
ney, but  the  hotel  at  Milan  put  over  a  new  one  on  us 
by  charging  fifty  centimes  at  each  meal  for  the  use  of 
napkins. 

The  great  lake  of  Geneva  spreads  in  a  semi-crescent 
shape  to  the  north  and  east,  with  its  northern  and 
southern  shores  defined  in  striking  contrast.  On 
the  northern  side  are  abrupt  and  sloping  hillside 
pastures,  flecked  with  green  and  pleasant  groves, 
and  stretching  far  back  and  ever  up  and  beyond, 
through  thick  forests  to  the  everlasting  snow-clad 
peaks  of  the  Jural  Alps. 

From  Lausanne  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  lake,  the 
level  plains  and  gentle  slopes  of  a  less  insistent  rug- 


147 

gedness  of  topography  are  covered  with  a  continuous 
succession  of  orchards  and  vineyards,  interspersed 
with  picturesque  villages  and  hamlets.  On  the 
southern  shore,  however,  the  Savoyan  Alps  rise  with 
sudden  abruptness  from  the  foreshortened  foot-hills 
into  gloomy,  awe  inspiring  peaks,  with  their  cheerless 
northern  slopes  turned  from  the  sun's  life-giving 
warmth,  and  hence  appear  in  their  arrested  develop- 
ment of  flower  and  foliage  to  belong  to  a  different 
climatic  zone.  Geneva  has  been  a  noted  lake  ever 
since  it  was  known  as  Lake  Lemanus  of  the  Romans, 
and  has  filled  the  theme  of  many  a  song  and  story. 
It  is  forty-five  miles  long,  four  to  eight  wide,  and  has 
its  greatest  depth,  of  one  thousand  feet,  opposite 
Lausanne.  Its  deep  blue  waters  have  their  sources 
in  the  hundreds  of  tiny  rivulets  that  trickle  down  the 
sides  of  the  towering  snow-covered  mountains  at  its 
eastern  end,  and  in  the  melting  snows  and  glaciers 
of  the  St.  Gothard  and  Mont  Blanc  ranges,  where  the 
transparent  Rhone  and  the  murky  Arve  have  their 
beginning.  On  the  north  shore,  near  the  eastern  end 
of  the  lake,  is  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  made  famous  by 
Byron's  beautiful  and  imaginative  poem.  As  the 
train  passes,  shortly  after  leaving  Villeneuve,  a  fleet- 
ing view  was  had  of  the  old  castle  prison,  and  its 
pyramidal  and  conical-top  towers.  It  is  built  upon 
a  rocky  islet  in  the  lake  some  fifty  or  seventy- 
five  feet  from  shore,  and  is  reached  by  an  ancient 
bridge  of  quaint  construction.  When  the  castle  was 
built,  or  by  whom,  is  unknown,  though  its  traditions 
date  back  more  than  a  thousand  years. 

May  25. — Rained  with  slight  intermissions  all  day. 
Walked  down  town  through  the  market  and  business 


148 

section.  The  buildings  are  substantial  and  mostly 
modern.  The  universal  language  is  French.  They 
have  the  least  familiarity  with  the  English  tongue 
of  any  place  we  have  yet  visited,  and  it  is  much 
harder  to  make  them,  than  it  is  an  Italian,  understand 
an  American's  wants.  Many  of  the  residences  are 
surrounded  by  large  grounds  filled  with  large  and 
beautiful  trees  and  shrubbery.  The  black  locust  and 
horse  chestnut  are  favorite  trees,  and  are  profusely 
filled  at  this  time  with  blossoms.  There  are  also 
many  fine  sycamores  and  oaks,  with  occasional  elms 
and  maples.  In  the  parks  they  have  a  curious 
fashion  of  cutting  off  the  tops  of  the  sycamores  and 
causing  them  to  spread  out  somewhat  after  the  manner 
of  the  Texas  umbrella  tree.  In  this  connection  I 
have  noticed  that  throughout  Italy  nearly  all  the  trees 
have  been  cut  back  repeatedly  until  they  are  robbed 
entirely  of  their  natural  beauty,  presumably  for  the 
purpose  of  replenishing,  from  time  to  time,  the  family 
supply  of  fuel.  Geneva,  the  home  of  Calvin,  was 
long  the  Protestant  stronghold  of  the  continent,  but 
gradually,  year  by  year,  mostly  within  the  last  cen- 
tury, the  Roman  Catholic  immigration  has  increased 
until  now  they  have  a  slight  preponderance  in  num- 
bers, a  fact  that  must  be  highly  disturbing  to  the 
spiritual  comfort  of  the  great  Protestant  Reformer. 

May  26. — Cloudy  in  the  morning,  with  a  strong 
north  wind  bearing  an  icy  blast  from  the  mountain 
peaks.  Walked  down  to  the  lake  and  through  the 
small  park  known  as  Jar  din  Anglais.  Lake  Geneva 
is  a  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  and  with  the 
rapidly  stiffening  breeze  its  vivid  green  surface  was 
soon  covered  with  a  multitude  of  shining  white-caps, 


149 

chasing  and  racing  with  each  other  Hke  a  school  of 
mermaids  out  for  a  lark.  In  the  afternoon  crossed 
to  the  north  side  of  the  lake  and  went  to  Ariana  Park 
and  Museum.  It  being  Whitsunday,  the  museum 
was  closed,  so  we  strolled  through  the  park,  where  are 
kept  a  large  number  of  deer  of  different  varieties, 
some  of  them  pure  white,  and  where  also  are  an 
Alpine  and  a  Botanical  Garden,  alleged  by  the  guide- 
books to  be  very  fine,  but  did  not  impress  us  as  com- 
paring favorably  with  many  in  America. 

May  27. — Strolled  around  town  after  breakfast; 
bought  a  New  York  Herald  and  came  back  to  the 
house  to  read  the  political  news  from  America.  It 
would  seem,  in  the  light  of  the  result  of  the  Ohio 
primaries,  that  the  people — at  least  the  Republican 
portion  of  them — have  lost  their  reason,  and  have 
been  stampeded  into  a  wild,  insensate  mob.  The 
fact  that  a  ranting,  untruthful,  egotistical  dema- 
gogue like  Roosevelt  can  command  a  majority  of  the 
votes  in  one  of  the  most  intelligent  communities 
in  the  country,  renders  more  than  ever  apparent,  the 
fact  that  the  most  monumental  humbug  and  folly 
fastened  upon  the  American  people  is  unrestricted, 
universal  suffrage.  It  seems  evident  that  the  Repub- 
lican party  is  hopelessly  divided  and  Democratic 
success  assured. 

This  afternoon  we  drifted  down  to  the  point  of 
junction  of  the  Rhone  and  Arve  Rivers,  which  occurs 
a  short  distance  below  where  the  former  leaves  Lake 
Geneva.  It  is  called  the  union  of  the  blue  and  the 
gray,  from  the  fact  that  the  water  of  the  Rhone  is 
clear  as  crystal  and  of  a  bluish  tint,  while  the  Arve 
is  full  of  muddy  sediment  of  a  light  gray  color.     From 


150 

this  point  we  crossed  a  bridge  over  the  Arve  and 
ascended  a  steep  hill  through  a  beautiful  shady  grove, 
and  from  the  summit  beheld  a  most  entrancing  view 
of  the  entire  city  of  Geneva  and  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. Later  we  entered  a  gasoline  launch  on  the 
lake  and  rode  to  the  Pare  Mon  Repos,  fronting  on 
the  lake  bank  and  containing  a  wealth  of  roses  and 
other  flowers,  together  with  many  varieties  of  magnif- 
icent trees,  forming  altogether  a  picture  such  as  the 
pencil  of  artist  never  succeeded  in  painting.  From 
here  we  expected  a  fine  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  but  were 
defeated  by  the  clouds. 

May  28. — Made  a  trip  to  the  Saleve  for  the  pur- 
pose of  getting  a  view  of  Mont  Blanc.  In  doing  this 
we  took  the  electric  tramway  from  Cours  de  Rive  to 
Vernier,  and  from  thence  a  rack  and  pinion  railway 
to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The  Saleve  is  an  abrupt 
hill  or  mountain  of  limestone  rock  rising  to  the  height 
of  over  four  thousand  feet,  and  is  just  across  the  Swiss 
border  in  French  territory.  As  you  ascend  from  the 
valley  in  a  serpentine  course  the  view  gradually 
broadens  and  becomes  more  and  more  beautiful. 
The  city  of  Geneva,  with  its  shaded  grounds  and 
attractive  homes,  lies  at  your  feet,  the  blue  expanse 
of  the  greatest  of  Svdss  lakes  glistens  in  the  sun, 
dotted  here  and  there  with  excursion  steamers,  gaso- 
line launches  darting  swiftly  about  like  so  many  fire- 
flies, and  sail-boats  and  row  boats  of  all  sizes  and 
descriptions.  For  miles  the  winding  and  disreput- 
able current  of  the  River  Arve  can  be  traced  to  its 
marriage  with  the  beautiful  and  unstained  Rhone, 
and  then  as  each  higher  step  is  taken  in  the  ascent, 
mountain    after   mountain,    and   range   succeeding 


151 

range,  come  into  view,  until  the  horizon  is  bounded 
and  the  view  Hmited  on  all  sides  by  distant  snow- 
capped summits.  Half  way  up  the  hill  is  a  com- 
paratively level  tract,  the  site  of  a  small  village  and 
sundry  diminutive  farm  and  garden  plats,  with  here 
and  there  a  luxuriant  meadow  of  red-top  and  clover, 
and  the  uncultivated  spots  are  covered  with  a  thick 
growth  of  hazel-brush,  interspersed  with  dwarf  oaks, 
black  locusts  and  European  linden.  At  the  end  of 
the  route  is  found  the  inevitable  Swiss  restaurant, 
where  a  glass  of  cold  lager  or  a  bottle  of  sour  wine 
awaits  the  thirsty  traveler.  The  view  from  the  sum- 
mit is  one  of  surpassing  grandeur,  though  at  first  we 
were  disappointed  to  find  the  face  of  Mont  Blanc 
hidden  behind  the  clouds.  An  hour  later,  however, 
just  before  time  for  our  return,  the  silvery  veil  was 
hfted  and  the  face  of  Europe^s  highest  and  most  noted 
mountain  peak  was  exposed  to  our  longing  gaze. 
The  world  has  sung  its  praises,  and  it  is  little  less 
than  treason  not  to  join  in  its  enthusiastic  refrain, 
but  truth  compels  me  to  admit  that  in  majesty  and 
grandeur  it  at  least  does  not  excel  our  own  Mount 
Eanier,  Mount  Shasta,  nor  several  of  the  most  noted 
peaks  in  Colorado.  However,  we  expect  to  get  a 
nearer  and  better  view  when  we  visit  Chamonix, 
and  are  told  that  our  opinion  will  undergo  a  radical 
change. 

May  29-30-31. — Spent  such  time  as  the  frequent 
showers  of  rain  would  permit  in  strolling  around  town 
and  exploring  the  many  beautiful  and  sequestered 
nooks  and  enclosures  in  the  suburbs. 

June  1. — Between  morning  showers  visited  the 
railroad  station  for  information  as  to  departure  of 


152 

boat  and  trains  for  Interlaken,  and  in  the  afternoon 
strolled  over  to  Pare  aux  Vives,  along  the  lake 
shore,  where  there  is  a  small  ^'zoo/^  beautiful  trees,  a 
fine  restaurant  and  a  Luna  park  copied  on  a  small 
scale  from  the  one  at  Coney  Island,  New  York. 
Made  plans  for  visiting  Chamonix  to-morrow,  but 
the  weather  thickened  up  and  a  steady  rain  set  in 
for  the  night,  so  we  abandoned  them. 

June  2. — Rained  again  to-day  but  visited  the  new 
Academy  and  Museum  in  the  afternoon.  The  latter 
is  located  on  the  hill  and  is  a  fine  modern  building  of 
white  sandstone,  and  contains  the  city  collection  of 
antiquities,  weapons  and  coins,  collections  of  indus- 
trial art,  Swiss  uniforms,  paintings  and  sculptures. 
About  four  miles  from  Geneva  is  the  village  of  Ferney, 
which  for  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  was  the 
residence  of  that  brilliant,  erratic,  mercurial  and 
inconsistent  stormy  petrel  of  France,  M.  de  Voltaire, 
the  man  whose  writings  laid  the  foundation  for  the 
social  unrest  and  the  fierce  passions  of  the  canaille, 
which  brought  about  the  bloody  horrors  of  the 
French  revolution.  With  a  wit  keen  as  a  Damascus 
blade,  a  sarcasm  that  stung  like  an  adder,  and  with 
an  unlimited  love  and  capacity  for  controversy,  he 
kept  Europe  in  general,  and  France  in  particular,  in  a 
state  of  continual  social  and  political  agitation. 
To-day  the  foe  of  imperial  authority;  to-morrow 
cringing  and  fawning  before  the  king  and  his  satellites 
for  pecuniary  and  social  favor;  now  writing  a  scur- 
rilous and  indecent  pamphlet  denouncing  religion 
and  the  church,  and  shortly  after,  begging  permission 
of  the  Pope  to  dedicate  one  of  his  tragedies  to  his 
holiness.     But  Voltaire  had  a  mission  in  life — the 


153 

freeing  of  mankind  from  arbitrary  power,  whether 
civil  or  rehgious — and  with  him  the  end  was  every- 
thing, the  means  inconsequential,  and  as  he  said, 
"What  hope  of  freedom  to  speak  in  these  times  with- 
out the  Royal  indulgence."  Twice  incarcerated  in 
the  Bastile  for  his  bold  and  indiscreet  writings;  com- 
pelled to  flee  Paris  time  and  again  to  avoid  the  royal 
anger;  driven  from  Prussia  with  the  bitter  resent- 
ment of  his  erstwhile  friend,  Frederick  the  Great,  he 
was  at  last  enabled  to  return  to  Paris  amidst  the  shout 
and  frenzy  of  the  canaille,  the  welcome  of  the  Acad- 
emy, the  joy  of  the  philosophers,  the  ecstacy  of  the 
drama  and  the  fear  of  the  court  and  church. 

A  few  weeks  later  his  mortal  remains  were  borne 
secretly  from  Paris  for  burial  at  Scelliers,  from  whence 
thirteen  years  later,  by  order  of  the  National  Assem- 
bly, they  were  borne  back  to  Paris  and  buried  with 
such  universal  acclamation  and  honors  as  had  never 
before  been  accorded  to  a  citizen  of  France. 

June  3. — Left  for  Chamonix  this  morning. 
Weather  more  or  less  cloudy  and  showery.  The 
scenery  along  the  route  was  very  attractive  and 
opened  to  our  vision  many  densely  wooded  mountain 
sides,  snow-clad  peaks  and  beautiful  waterfalls. 
The  perpendicular  leap  of  the  cascade  at  Oex  is  so 
great  that  much  of  the  water  floats  off  in  mist  before 
reaching  the  bottom.  Villages  and  chalets,  or  farm- 
houses, tattoo  the  landscape  and  hillsides  in  every 
direction.  Reached  Chamonix  shortly  after  noon, 
had  lunch,  and  after  some  hesitation  decided  not  to 
go  up  the  rack  and  pinion  railway  to  Mer  de  Glace, 
as  the  weather  was  too  cloudy  to  see  Mont  Blanc, 
but  instead  took  the  train  to  Les  Tines  and  thence 


154 

climbed  a  winding  mountain  trail  through  a  forest  of 
great  beauty  to  the  Chapeau,  a  point  that  overlooks 
the  Mer  de  Glace.  Here  we  saw  and  stood  upon 
the  edge  of  this  great  glacier,  whose  melting  ice  forms 
one  of  the  main  sources  of  the  River  Arve.  In  a  few 
minutes  after  our  arrival  it  began  to  rain  and  we 
retraced  our  steps  halfway  down  the  mountain  until 
we  reached  a  small  hotel,  where  we  had  dinner  and 
stopped  for  the  night. 

June  4. — Awakened  at  4.30  a.  m.,  and  looking  out 
the  windows  found  that  the  storm  had  passed  and 
the  atmosphere  was  clear  and  pure.  A  glance  at  the 
mountains,  and  there,  in  all  its  white-robed  glory, 
piercing  the  sky  with  its  many  pointed  needles  and 
minarets,  stood  one  of  nature's  grandest  temples, 
Mont  Blanc.  The  moon,  with  her  pale  silvery  light, 
capped  the  top-most  needle  and  cast  a  fading  and 
deathly  pallor  over  the  face  of  the  mountain,  as  she 
fled  from  the  first  burning  glance  of  the  sun,  who  had 
just  awakened  and  was  rubbing  his  lustrous  eyes 
preparatory  to  taking  up  his  daily  rounds.  In  a  few 
moments  there  began  to  steal  over  the  face  of  the 
mountain's  higher  pinnacles  a  deUcate  shade  of  purple, 
gradually  ripening  into  a  glowing  pink,  and  fascinat- 
ing the  eye  with  its  almost  unearthly  beauty.  For 
only  a  few  moments  did  this  evanescent  glory  last, 
and  then  as  the  sun  mounted  higher  in  its  course  the 
colors  faded  and  the  whole  broad  breast  of  the  moun- 
tain became  a  dazzling  sheet  of  white,  scarcely  less 
beautiful  than  before.  The  surrounding  peaks,  of 
inferior  though  still  majestic  height,  soon  caught  the 
glow  and  became  masses  of  burnished  silver,  con- 
trasting beautifully  with  the  deep  green  of  the  pines 


155 

on  the  lower  slopes,  while  the  valley,  with  her  scatter- 
ing villages,  was  hidden  in  a  thin,  dreamy  veil  of 
silvery  fog,  which  a  little  later,  kissed  by  the  morning 
breeze,  drifted  gracefully  and  lazily  up  the  canon  and 
disappeared  from  view.  Feeling  the  full  inspiration 
of  the  scene  we  again,  with  zealous  steps,  climbed  the 
mountain  path  to  a  point  where  we  could  look  down 
upon  the  full-lengthed  mass  of  the  Mer  de  Glace  and 
the  valley  below,  more  than  five  thousand  feet,  and 
at  last  regretfully,  v/ith  downward  steps,  returned  to 
the  hotel  for  breakfast.  After  breakfast  we  took 
our  way  down  the  mountain  trail  again  to  Les  Tines, 
where  we  boarded  the  upward  train  for  Argentieres, 
only  a. few  minutes  ride,  from  which  point  we  also 
had  a  grand  view  of  the  mountains  and  of  the  Glacier 
d'Argentieres.  Returning  by  the  train  to  Chamonix, 
we  looked  about  the  town  for  a  couple  of  hours  and 
left  for  Geneva,  arriving  at  our  hotel  in  time  for 
dinner. 

June  5. — Left  Geneva  for  Interlaken.  Took  the 
boat  at  9  a.  m.,  and  after  a  delightful  ride  up  Lake 
Geneva  to  Montreux  we  left  the  boat  for  an  electric 
train,  which  inunediately  upon  leaving  begins  the 
ascent  of  the  mountain  and  gradually  winds  its  way 
back  and  forth  in  making  the  ascent,  affording  some 
of  the  most  charming  and  picturesque  views  of  the 
lake  and  the  surrounding  country  one  could  well 
imagine.  Not  only  the  shores  of  the  lake,  but  the 
green  and  beautiful  hillsides  are  everywhere  sprinkled 
with  villages,  hotels  and  pensions  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  tourists  during  both  summer  and  winter 
months.  In  fact,  the  whole  of  Switzerland  is  appar- 
ently given  over  in  these  days  of  wealth  and  leisure  to 


166 

the  entertainment  of  the  world's  fortunate  multitude 
who  come  here  to  spend  their  money  and  enjoy  the 
climate  and  scenery  of  this  most  contented  little 
Republic. 

At  Zweisimmen  we  changed  from  the  electric  to  the 
steam  cars  and  after  crossing  another  divide  reached 
the  Lake  of  Thun,  and  skirting  closely  the  bank  of 
this  little  gem  for  its  full  length,  reached  Interlaken 
shortly  before  dark  and  took  up  our  quarters  at  the 
Hotel  Rugenpark. 

June  6, — From  our  bedroom  window  we  look  out 
upon  the  Jungfrau,  but  on  arising  this  morning  it  was 
obscured  by  clouds,  which  gradually  drifted  away, 
and  about  11  o'clock  left  the  massive  snow-bound 
heights  exposed  to  full  view.  It  is  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture, but  from  this  point,  at  least,  not  nearly  so 
impressive  as  Mont  Blanc.  Interlaken  not  only  in 
itself,  but  in  its  scenic  surroundings,  is  a  most  attrac- 
tive place.  Like  all  other  Swiss  towns,  it  is  made  up 
of  hotels,  pensions  and  small  shops.  Swiss  wood 
carving,  in  all  sorts  of  fantastic  and  beautiful  designs, 
is  much  in  evidence.  We  visited  the  Kursaal,  a 
beautiful  restaurant  and  beer  garden  surrounded 
by  ornamental  grounds  with  profusion  of  flowers,  and 
listened  to  a  concert  by  a  band  of  fifty  pieces,  after 
which  we  took  a  carriage  and  drove  for  an  hour 
through  the  town  and  to  Lake  Briens.  After  dinner 
we  took  a  walk  through  a  dense  forest  of  beech  and 
pine  to  the  caf6  Unspunnen,  on  a  commanding  emi- 
nence, from  which  a  fine  view  of  the  Jungfrau,  Lake 
Briens  and  surrounding  mountains  is  had.  The 
glittering  dome  of  the  Jungfrau  towers,  in  its  loftiness, 
amid  the  clear,  crisp  atmosphere,  and  lower  down  its 


157 

sides  the  crapy  and  vapory  clouds  glide  past  like 
avant-couriers  presaging  the  coming  of  the  hosts 
that  follow  the  storm  king  from  his  lair  in  the  deep, 
dark  canons. 

June  7. — Took  the  boat  on  Lake  Thun  and  landed 
at  Beatus  Hohlen,  from  whence  we  ascended  by  foot- 
path to  the  main  road,  and  from  thence  on  up  along- 
side the  beautiful  cascade  of  Beattenbach.  This  con- 
sists of  a  succession  of  falls,  from  one  bench  to  another, 
until  the  stream,  with  a  final  plunge,  reaches  the  lake. 
After  an  ascent  of  perhaps  a  thousand  feet  from  the 
boat  landing  we  entered  the  so-called  Wet  Grotto, 
being  a  cave  which  by  a  winding  and  upward  channel 
penetrates  the  bowels  of  the  mountain  for  a  distance 
of  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  The  Beattenbach  courses 
its  way  through  the  grotto  the  entire  distance  with 
alternate  musical  murmuring  and  deafening  roar. 
Here  and  there  the  walls  and  floor  of  the  grotto 
are  interspersed  with  small  stalactites  and  stalag- 
mites, not  in  any  way  comparable  either  in  size 
or  beauty  with  those  to  be  found  in  Luray  or  Mam- 
moth caves  in  America.  Adjoining  the  wet  grotto 
is  a  small  cave  called  the  dry  grotto  in  which  St. 
Beattus  is  said  to  have  lived,  and  which  for  many 
centuries  was  a  much  frequented  resort  for  pilgrims. 
The  saint's  grave  is  just  outside  the  grotto,  and  a  life- 
size  image  of  him,  seated  at  his  table  poring  over  the 
scriptures,  is  within.  We  returned  to  Interlaken 
on  the  boat  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  rain  storm  that 
lasted  during  the  night,  but  will,  if  the  weather 
permits,  visit  Lauterbrunnen  and  Murren  tomorrow. 

Jutie  8. — Cloudy  and  threatening  this  morning, 
and   therefore   trip   to   Lauterbrunnen   postponed. 


158 

Spent  the  time  wandering  around  town  among  the 
stores  and  dodging  the  frequent  showers.  Every- 
where one  travels  through  these  Swiss  mountains, 
whether  by  rail  or  on  foot,  one  is  almost  constantly 
in  sight  of  isolated  log  or  frame  cabins,  ranging  from 
the  lower  mountain  reaches  to  points  far  up  toward 
timber  line.  In  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  snows  have 
melted  on  the  lower  hillsides  and  the  fresh  grass  and 
foliage  begin  to  give  color  to  the  landscape,  the  thrifty 
Swiss  peasant  releases  his  cattle  from  their  long 
winter  confinement,  and  driving  them  in  procession 
up  the  winding  and  rough  mountain  trails,  halts  at 
the  lower  pastures,  making  his  temporary  abiding 
place  in  one  of  these  rude  cabins,  and  then,  as  the 
season  advances,  moving  higher  and  higher  up,  his 
cows  fattening  their  sleek  sides  upon  the  succulent 
grasses  and  wild  flowers,  until  the  late  autumn's  chill 
and  nipping  frost  warns  him  to  again  seek  the  valley's 
protection. 

June  9. — Rained  hard  nearly  all  day.  In  the  after- 
noon, during  a  short  intermission,  climbed  a  high  hill 
near  by  and  had  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  town, 
the  lakes  and  the  flat  meadow  between.  This  town 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  head- centres  for  the  manu- 
facture, display  and  sale  of  wood-carving,  much  of  it 
of  very  exquisite  design  and  showing  great  delicacy  of 
touch.  One  of  the  favorite  subjects  is  the  brown  bear, 
which  is  carved  in  all  sorts  of  attitudes,  designs  and 
sizes,  from  an  inch  in  length  to  full  natural  size.  If 
our  Teddy  should  secure  the  Presidential  nomination, 
it  might  mean  a  season's  prosperity  for  the  merchants 
of  this  community.  ¥/hile  the  'Agoing"  dialect  at 
Geneva  and  Chamonix  was  French,  here  it  is  German . 


159 

June  10. — This  morning  took  a  trip  to  Lauter- 
brunnen  and  the  famous  Staubbach  and  Trummel- 
bach  falls,  the  former  nine  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in 
height  and  the  latter,  fed  by  the  glaciers  of  the  Jung- 
frau,  descending  with  great  violence  and  noise  in  five 
falls  through  a  narrow,  spiral  and  almost  perpendicular 
gorge.  To  describe  this  trip,  however,  is  but  in  large 
measure  a  repetition  of  previous  descriptions  oi  Swiss 
scenery.  It  would  only  mean  more  adjectives,  more 
superlatives,  more  rushing  streams,  silvery  cataracts, 
grassy  slopes,  dense  forests,  many-colored  wild 
flowers,  quaint  Swiss  chalets,  endless  hotels  and  pen- 
sions, towering  cliffs  and  snow-clad  summits.  At 
one  time  on  the  way  to  Trummelbach,  twelve  distinct 
cataracts  were  in  sight  on  both  sides  of  the  canon. 
We  did  not  go  up  on  the  cable  and  electric  railway  to 
Murren  because  the  mountain  summits  were  so  ob- 
scured by  clouds  as  to  render  a  good  view  of  the  range 
impossible. 

June  11. — Left  Interlaken  this  morning  by  cars; 
changed  at  Brienz,  the  next  station,  to  a  boat  and 
rode  the  full  length  of  Lake  Brienz  to  Meiringen, 
where  we  again  changed  to  the  cars  and  where  our 
hand  luggage  was  unceremoniously  seized,  weighed 
and  transferred  to  the  baggage  car  after  paying  what 
they  termed  excess  baggage  charges.  It  seems  the 
railroad  baggage  allowance  in  Switzerland,  free  of 
charge,  is  only  twenty-two  pounds  per  person, 
although  this  is  the  first  time  the  rule  has  been  en- 
forced on  us.  Leaving  Meiringen  we  begin  the  ascent 
by  cog  and  pinion  railway,  of  the  Brunig  Pass,  again 
opening  to  our  view  as  we  ascend,  a  scene  that  would 
be  of  rare  beauty  anywhere  but  in  this  ever  beautiful 


160 

Switzerland.  As  we  reach  the  summit  of  the  pass  at 
Brunig — altitude  thirty-three  hundred  feet — to  the 
south  rise  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Engelhorn 
and  the  Faulhorn  chains,  and  below  us  hes  the  green 
and  peaceful  valley  of  Meiringen,  with  its  little  farms 
and  fields  laid  off,  and  each  one  surrounded  by  a  stone 
wall,  giving  the  effect,  at  that  height,  of  a  table^top 
inlaid  with  different  colored  mosaics.  Descending 
on  the  north  side  of  the  pass,  in  two  and  one-half 
miles  Lungern  is  reached  after  a  descent  of  eight 
hundred  feet,  and  the  small  lake  of  the  same  name  is 
in  view  far  below  us.  Descending  still  further  to 
Giswill,  the  view  to  the  south  comprehends  the 
Schwarzhorn  chain  and  the  three  towering  ever  white 
and  dazzling  peaks  of  the  Wetterhorn.  Crossing  the 
river  Aa,  and  passing  Sarnen  lake  and  the  Melchthal 
valley,  we  enter  the  broad  valley  of  the  Allmend, 
reach  the  southwest  arm  of  Lake  Lucerne,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  more  are  in  the  city  of  the  same  name, 
where  we  found  most  comfortable  quarters  at  the 
Pension  Friedeau,  situated  on  an  eminence  that  over- 
looks the  main  portion  of  the  city  and  commands  an 
inspiring  view  of  the  surrounding  mountains. 

June  12. — Spent  most  of  the  day  walking  about 
the  streets  of  Lucerne,  looking  at  the  stores  and 
strolling  along  the  beautiful  Avenue  of  Horse  Chest- 
nuts, that  fronts  the  lakeside.  Visited  also  the 
famous  Lion  of  Lucerne,  modeled  by  Thorwaldsen 
and  carved  out  of  the  solid  rock  by  a  Swiss  artist 
named  Ahorn.  It  was  conceived  and  executed  in 
memory  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Swiss  guard 
who  fell  in  1792  defending  the  palace  of  the  Tuilleries 
from  the  mob  of  the  French  revolution.     Spent  an 


161 

hour  in  the  afternoon  hstening  to  the  music  at  the 
Kursaal.  Lucerne  is  flanked  on  one  side  by  the 
barren  and  rocky  heights  of  Mount  Pilatus,  rising  in 
almost  perpendicular  abruptness  to  its  generally 
cloud-clapped  altitude  of  nearly  seven  thousand  feet, 
and  on  the  other  side  by  the  more  massive  but  less 
lofty  and  less  repellant  contour  of  Rigi.  One  of  the 
imaginative  and  fondly  cherished  traditions  of  the 
people  is  that  the  name  Pilatus,  as  attached  to  the 
name  of  the  peak  first  mentioned,  had  its  origin  in 
the  fact  that  Pontius  Pilate,  in  a  fit  of  remorse,  came 
hither,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  dejected  wanderings 
committed  suicide  by  drowning  in  the  waters  of 
Pilatus  lake.  Like  numerous  other  Swiss  mountains, 
the  summit  of  Pilatus  is  made  accessible  by  a  cog 
and  pinion  railway  of  the  boldest  and  most  remark- 
able construction,  the  ascent  at  times  verging  upon 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  the  average  grade 
of  ascent  being  forty-two  feet  in  one  hundred.  There 
is  a  spacious  plateau  on  top  crowned  by  a  magnificent 
hotel,  from  whose  roof  every  evening  during  the  open 
season,  a  strong  search -light  reveals  the  restless 
crowd  of  promenaders  in  the  city  of  Lucerne  far 
below.  Though  Pilatus  and  the  Rigi  are  not  high 
mountains,  as  mountains  go  in  Switzerland,  their 
popularity  and  scenic  importance  are  emphasized  by 
the  fact  that  they  stand  as  sentinels  guarding  the 
northern  frontier  of  the  Alps,  and  from  their  summits 
the  most  expansive  and  far  reaching  views  are  ob- 
tained in  the  direction  of  Basel  and  the  German 
frontier. 

June  iS.— Rained  hard  and  continuously  all  day 
long.     There  was  nothing  to  do  but  remain  indoors 
1677— II 


162 

and  ruminate  on  the  beauties  and  the  history  of  this 
wonderful  httle  Republic.  Switzerland  has  long  been 
the  theme  of  song  and  story.  The  historian,  the 
poet  and  the  traveler  have  each  in  turn  contributed 
to  the  praise  of  its  political,  its  heroic  and  its  scenic 
grandeur.  Myth  and  legend  have  been  rife  in  paint- 
ing its  people  as  the  soul  and  embodiment  of  every 
patriotic  instinct,  the  defenders  of  their  hearthstones 
against  the  intrusions  and  the  attacks  of  tyranny, 
and  the  upholders  of  republican  principles  against 
the  monarchical  sentiment  of  all  Europe.  And  yet, 
for  four  hundred  years  there  was  scarcely  a  war  of 
conquest  waged  on  the  continents  in  which  Switzer- 
land did  not  furnish  a  corps  of  hireling  soldiers  in 
aid  of  one  side  or  the  other,  and  sometimes  both. 
A  Swiss  guard  perished  in  defence  of  the  French 
monarch  whose  tyranny,  corruption  and  licentious- 
ness brought  about  the  French  revolution.  A  Swiss 
legion  bore  the  banners  and  followed  the  fortunes  of 
Frederick  the  Great  to  victory  or  defeat.  A  Swiss 
contingent  shared  with  the  hireling  Hessians  in  the 
efforts  of  Great  Britain  to  prevent  the  establishment 
of  American  independence,  and  only  within  the  last 
few  years  has  the  Swiss  law  forbidden  the  enlistment 
of  Swiss  citizens  for  foreign  service.  The  fact  is  that 
while  Switzerland  is  one  continuous  stronghold  of 
almost  impregnable  mountains,  and  that  the  people 
living  in  these  mountains  naturally  grow  up  in  more 
or  less  isolated  freedom  and  absorb  independence  of 
spirit  and  action,  yet  the  country  owes  her  unique 
freedom  and  autonomy  to  her  geographical  situation. 
It  was  Bismark,  I  think,  who  said  that  '^  Switzerland 
is  a  geographical  expression."  Surrounded  by  vari- 
ous   Powers    of    competitive    ambition   and  vastly 


163 

greater  strength,  she  fills  the  function  of  a  buffer  in 
separating  their  respective  frontiers,  and  finds  her 
safety  from  absorption  by  reason  of  their  political 
jealousies.  The  present-day  stream  of  travelers  and 
tourists,  flowing  with  constant  and  ever-increasing 
current  through  her  valleys  and  over  her  mountains, 
is  working  a  marked  change  in  the  customs,  habits 
and  ambitions  of  the  people.  The  simplicity  of 
every-day  life  and  the  quaintness  of  immemorial 
customs  are  rapidly  yielding,  especially  in  the  cities 
and  towns,  to  the  corrupting  influences  of  foreign 
fashions.  It  is  only  in  the  country,  on  the  out-of-the- 
way  hillsides,  and  in  remote  villages  that  you  find 
that  ancient  and  uncorrupted  type  of  living  charac- 
teristic of  the  fading  centuries.  In  some  of  these 
time-stained  cottages  you  will  find  an  old  patriarch 
whose  years  have  long  out-numbered  the  scriptural 
limit,  whose  birth,  as  well  as  that  of  his  father  and 
grandfathers  for  many  generations  happened  under 
the  same  roof,  none  of  whom  ever  stepped  foot  upon 
foreign  soil  or  yodled  his  native  song  hardly  beyond 
the  hearing  of  his  own  door-yard. 

June  l/j.  and  15. — Spent  the  time  in  strolling  about 
the  city,  visiting  stores  and  shops  and  prying  into 
curious  out-of-the-way  nooks  and  corners. 

June  16. — Boarded  the  steamer  on  Lake  Lucerne 
for  a  trip  to  Fluelen  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake, 
passing  on  the  way  the  villages  of  Weggis,  Vitznau, 
Beckenried,  Gersau,  Treib,  Brunnen  and  TelFs  Platte. 
The  trip  is  exceedingly  interesting  and  picturesque. 
High  mountain  peaks  surround  the  lake  on  all  sides, 
and  beautiful  hotels  give  fife  and  variety  to  the  land- 


164 

scape.  At  Vitznau  a  rack  and  pinion  railway- 
ascends  to  Rigi-Culm,  an  altitude  of  nearly  six 
thousand  feet.  At  Brunnen,  also,  a  similar  railway 
ascends  to  Axenstein  about  twenty-four  hundred  feet. 
At  Tell's  Platte  is  a  ledge  of  rock  on  which  stands 
Tell's  chapel,  erected  upon  the  supposed  spot  where, 
according  to  Swiss  myth,  WiUiam  Tell  sprang  out 
of  Gessler's  boat  and  escaped.  After  landing  at 
Fluelen  we  took  the  road  along  the  steep  mountain 
side  and  walked  back  through  Axenstrasse  as  far  as 
TelFs  Platte,  where  we  again  took  the  boat  for 
Lucerne. 

June  17. — Very  cloudy  in  the  morning,  so  a  con- 
templated trip  to  the  Rigi-Culm  was  postponed. 
Spent  the  day  v/andering  around  the  city  and  adja- 
cent hills. 

June  18. — Unfavorable  for  sight-seeing  in  the 
mountains.  Visited  the  Kursaal  in  the  morning 
and  read  the  New  York  papers.  It  seems  as  if  the 
spirit  of  socialism,  anarchy  and  hell-bent  determina- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  mob  to  pull  down  the  pillars 
that  sustain  the  structure  of  constitutional  govern- 
ment in  America  is  developing  with  celerity  and 
certainty.  Roosevelt,  with  his  passionate  determina- 
tion to  rule  or  ruin,  is  kindling  fires  that  in  his 
more  sober  moments  he  will  be  utterly  unable  to 
control.  If  nothing  else,  the  history  of  the  French 
revolution  and  the  fate  of  his  counterpart,  Robes- 
pierre, should  give  him  pause. 

June  19. — Took  the  boat  on  Lake  Lucerne  for 
Vitznau,  a  small  town  on  the  North  shore  of  the 


165 

lake,  where  we  took  a  cog  and  pinion  railway  for  Rigi- 
Culm,  or  the  sununit  of  the  Rigi  mountain,  nearly  six 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level  and  forty-five  hundred 
above  Lake  Lucerne.  This  mountain,  or  rather 
mountain  group,  is  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  in  cir- 
cumference, lying  between  Lakes  Lucerne  and  Zug. 
From  Vitznau  to  the  summit,  by  the  windings  of  the 
railroad,  is  about  four  and  one-half  miles,  and  at 
almost  every  turn  a  new  and  more  expansive  view 
greets  the  eye.  The  side  of  the  mountain  to  its  very 
summits  is  clothed  in  the  brightest  and  freshest  of 
spring  verdure,  both  of  forest  and  meadow.  The  forest, 
on  its  lower  slopes,  comprises  beech,  chestnut,  maple, 
oak,  hnden  and  several  other  varieties  not  famiUar  to 
me,  and  is  underlaid  with  a  thick  growth  of  under- 
brush. Higher  up  the  coniferous  growth  puts  in  a 
gradual  appearance,  until  finally  nothing  but  pines 
and  firs  are  to  be  seen  up  to  within  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  of  the  summit,  which  is  clothed  only 
with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  and  wild  flowers. 
Summer  hotels  are  numerous  along  the  line,  and  small 
farms,  with  an  occasional  orchard  of  apples,  pears, 
cherries  and  cherry  plums,  are  to  be  seen,  while  large 
and  fine  flavored  strawberries  are  offered  by  the 
peasant  women  at  about  a  cent  apiece  to  the  longing 
and  hungry  tourist.  Near  the  summit  is  an  immense 
hotel  of  four  or  five  hundred  rooms.  Back  of  the 
hotel,  and  some  forty  or  fifty  steps  above  it,  from  the 
extreme  summit,  you  look  down  a  precipitous  cliff, 
where,  several  thousand  feet  below  and  spreading  far 
out  to  the  north  and  west  like  an  immense  map  in 
colors,  is  seemingly  a  level  plain,  spotted  with  lakes 
and  villages,  traversed  by  winding  streams  and  orna- 
mented with  tiny  trees  that  look  like  small  twigs  stuck 


166 

in  a  flower  bed.  Turning  to  the  east  and  following 
with  the  eye  westwardly  along  the  horizon,  an  expan- 
sive view  of  the  snow  covered  chain  of  the  Alps  en- 
compasses the  limit  of  vision.  In  almost  endless 
succession  many  of  the  loftiest  and  most  noted  peaks 
declare  their  individuality  and  command  the  admira- 
tion to  which  their  beauty  and  majesty  entitle  them. 
The  splendid  isolation  of  the  Rigi-Culm  gives  an 
all-around  view  covering  an  expanse  of  territory  three 
hundred  miles  in  circumference.  To  the  north,  and 
far  away,  are  Zurich  and  Basel,  and  even  the  outlines 
of  the  Black  Forest.  Lake  Lucerne  on  the  one  side 
and  Lake  Zug  on  the  other,  far  below,  are  like  re- 
flecting mirrors  in  the  sunshine.  It  is  indeed  a  charm- 
ing and  impressive  view,  which,  so  far  as  the  natural 
scenery  alone  is  concerned,  can  be  duplicated  or  even 
surpassed  at  many  points  in  the  Rockies  or  Sierra 
Nevadas,  but  can  find  no  counterpart  in  those  fron- 
tier regions  in  the  varied  and  attractive  evidences  of 
civilized  comforts  and  luxury. 

June  20. — Loafed  around  all  day;  visited  the  Kur- 
saal  and  watched  the  reckless  and  foolish  people  lose 
their  money  at  the  gaming  table,  and  lingered  in  the 
vain  hope  that  some  news  of  the  doings  and  results  of 
the  Chicago  convention  might  be  proclaimed.  We 
get  the  Paris  edition  of  the  New  York  Herald  here  the 
day  following  its  publication,  which  is  as  near  as  we 
can  come  to  keeping  up  with  the  procession  of  politi- 
cal affairs  in  America.  Looking  out  from  the  window 
of  the  Kursaal,  the  eye  is  met  by  a  constant  proces- 
sion of  pedestrians  pacing  back  and  forth  along  the 
shaded  lake-shore  avenue,  ninety  per  cent  of  whom 
are  foreign  tourists.  It  is  said  by  the  American 
consular  reports  that  between  two  and  one-half  and 


167 

three  million  tourists  visit  Switzerland  each  year, 
and  that  they  spend  an  average  of  eighty  dollars  each 
in  the  country,  making  a  grand  total  of  more  than 
.two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  poured  into  the  lap 
of  three  million  frugal  and  conservative  people.  No 
wonder  that  Switzerland,  despite  its  rough  and 
mountainous  topography,  despite  its  limited  agri- 
cultural possibilities  and  deterrent  climatic  influences, 
is  each  year  attaining  a  higher  degree  of  financial 
prosperity,  and  a  distribution  of  household  comforts 
and  even  luxuries  among  its  peasant  homes  that 
fifty  years  ago  v/ould  have  been  considered  the  dream 
of  a  disordered  mind. 

June  21  and  22. — This  is  our  last  stopping  point  in 
Switzerland.  To  me  this  has  been  the  most  beautiful, 
enjoyable  and  restful  country  we  have  visited.  It  is 
not  filled  with  the  ancient  monuments,  the  ruined 
temples  and  the  m^^th  tainted  history  of  Egypt.  It 
is  lacking  in  the  sacred  traditions  and  the  holy  places 
of  biblical  narrative  that  cover  Palestine  as  with  a 
mantle  of  spirituality.  It  claims  no  fellowship  or  part 
in  the  classic  philosophy,  divine  art  or  military  glory 
of  ancient  Greece.  It  was  never,  except  in  a  very 
remote  and  incidental  way,  influenced  by  the  mas- 
terful passions,  and  world-wide  achievements,  nor  did 
it  have  part  in  the  great  architectural  constructions 
whose  ruins  still  reveal  the  wonderful  civilization  of 
ancient  Rome.  It  is  a  country  which  nature  has  set 
apart  as  her  most  beautiful  and  unspoiled  child. 
Majestic  mountains,  clothed  and  capped  with  the 
snows  of  eternity;  sloping  hillsides  wearing  the 
gorgeous  garments  of  spring-time;  dense  forests  of 
deciduous  and  coniferous  trees;  an  infinity  of  lakes, 


168 

sparkling  in  the  sunlight  and  with  waters  whose 
depths  are  measured  in  tints  of  green  and  blue;  cas- 
cades whose  descending  floods  ribbon  the  perpendic- 
ular cliffs  with  a  silvery  sheen,  and  beautiful  rivers 
whose  winding  courses  have  their  origin  in  the  icy- 
fetters  of  her  wonderful  glaciers.  Nature  has  indeed 
been  most  prodigal  in  her  gifts,  and  these  gifts  have, 
since  the  outside  world  has  grown  rich  in  this  world's 
goods,  been  the  means  of  increased  prosperity  and 
development  along  modern  progressive  lines.  The 
riches  and  the  restlessness  of  German,  English  and 
American  thrift  have  turned  their  pleasure  seeking 
steps  in  this  direction,  until  every  Swiss  hamlet  and 
chalet  has  become  an  income  producer  to  its  owner 
and  a  place  of  entertainment  for  the  stranger  within 
its  gates.  The  Swiss  people  are  conglomerate. 
The  southern  cantons  bordering  on  Italy  are  Italian 
in  speech,  looks  and  habit.  In  the  western  and  mid- 
central  sections,  French  is  the  predominating  lan- 
guage, while  in  the  northern  and  eastern  portions,  it 
is  as  if  you  were  in  the  realms  of  the  Kaiser  himself. 
In  appearance  the  Swiss,  especially  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts, are  not  a  prepossessing  people.  Though  strong 
and  vigorous  from  their  life  of  outdoor  activity  and 
mountain  climbing,  they  are  dull  and  stolid  of  counte- 
nance, slow  of  comprehension  and  not  nearly  so  high- 
bred in  style  and  appearance  as  their  uniformly  large 
and  beautiful  cattle.  The  school  children,  of  which 
there  seems  to  be  an  infinity,  have  a  happy  and  con- 
tented look,  but  for  clumsy  figure  and  homely  counte- 
nance are  in  conspicuous  contrast  to  their  charming 
surroundings.  Perhaps  three  per  cent  of  the  women 
and  one  per  cent  of  the  men  are  afflicted  with  goitre, 
alleged  to  be  caused  by  some  property  in  the  water. 


169 

Going  to  the  Kursaal,  I  have  just  heard  something 
that  revives  and  strengthens  my  latterly  dwindling 
respect  for  the  good  sense  and  political  wisdom  of  the 
American  people.  The  pride  of  the  rough  riders,  the 
Bwano  Tumbo  of  the  African  jungle,  the  wild  ass  of  the 
the  political  desert,  the  alleged  Annanias  of  American 
politics,  the  self-constitutedleader  of  the  socialistic  and 
anarchistic  mob,  the  assassin  of  law  and  order,  has  been 
ignominiously  turned  down  by  the  national  conven- 
tion of  the  party  that  invested  him  with  every  trust 
he  has  betrayed.  The  big  stick  can  now  go  to  the 
family  wood-pile  and  the  bull  moose  can  hide  in  the 
fastnesses  of  his  native  forest  and  be  forgotten. 

June  23. — The  day  has  been  very  hot  and  muggy, 
something  akin  to  what  we  are  accustomed  in  Cali- 
fornia to  call  earthquake  weather.  The  sun's  rays 
are  intensely  fierce,  and  even  sitting  quietly  in  the 
shade  is  none  too  comfortable.  An  afternoon  nap 
ends  with  perspiration  streaming  from  every  pore. 
Just  before  dusk  there  came  suddenly,  and  without 
warning,  the  patter  of  a  few  drops  of  rain  upon  the 
window  sill.  It  was  the  first  intimation  that  even 
a  cloud  had  crossed  the  sky.  In  a  few  moments, 
however,  the  heavens  were  darkened;  a  flash  of 
lightning,  a  clap  of  thunder  and  'Hhe  low  hung  clouds 
dropped  their  garnered  fullness  down."  For  an  hour 
the  lightning  played  alternately  in  zig-zag  streaks  and 
broad  blinding  sheets  along  the  rocky  sides  and  around 
the  steepled  summit  of  Mount  Pilatus,  and  a  torrent 
of  rain  gullied  the  hillsides  and  flooded  the  city 
streets.  The  thunder  echoed  and  reverberated 
among  the  hills,  and  the  heaviness  and  oppressiveness 
of  the  atmosphere  was  thoroughly  washed  out,  leaving 


170 

it  clear,  pure  and  fresh  as  a  spring  morning.  Such 
another  inspiring  storm  I  have  not  seen  since  my 
camping  days  in  the  high  Sierras.  But,  ah  me!  the 
manifestations  above  recorded  were  as  the  opening 
musketry  skirmishing  to  the  combined  cannonading 
of  Lee's  and  Meade's  artillery  when  Gettysburg  was 
in  full  progress,  for  about  midnight  the  storm  broke 
upon  us  again  with  lightning  that  fairly  burned  into 
one's  closed  eyes,  and  with  an  almost  continuous 
crackling  and  pealing  of  thunder  that  not  only  shook 
the  house  to  its  very  foundations,  but  fairly  threat- 
ened to  dethrone  the  eternal  hills.  Once  in  my  life 
only  do  I  remember  to  have  seen  its  equal,  and  that 
was  something  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  when  with 
a  mining  companion  I  stood  upon  the  simomit  of  one 
of  the  twin  peaks  of  a  lofty  mountain  in  Colorado, 
nearly  thirteen  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  and 
witnessed  the  gathering  and  breaking  of  a  thunder 
storm  on  the  other  peak,  when  a  bolt  of  lightning 
struck  its  mineralized  rock,  and  detaching  a  mass  of 
some  thousands  of  tons,  sent  it  rolling  down  the 
mountain  side,  crashing  through  the  timber  below, 
snapping  large  trees  as  if  they  were  pipe-stems  and 
cutting  a  swath  as  clean  as  a  combined  harvester 
through  a  California  grain  field. 

June  2J{.. — During  the  storm  here  last  night  the 
church  bells  and  fire  bells  were  all  tolled.  I  learn 
this  morning  that  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
notice  to  people  to  get  up  and  dress  so  as  to  be  ready, 
in  case  their  houses  were  struck  and  fired  by  lightning, 
to  get  out.  A  gentleman  who  has  lived  here  for  forty 
years  says  he  has  never  seen  the  equal  of  the  storm. 


171 

June  25. — Left  Lucerne  this  morning;  changed 
cars  at  Basel,  and  thence  north  through  Freiburg, 
Baden,  Rastatt,  Karlsruhe,  Mannheim,  Worms  and 
Mayence,  reaching  Wiesbaden  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon,  where  we  found  an  abiding  place  at 
the  Pension  Fortuna  in  a  favored  location  opposite 
a  most  beautiful  public  park  and  only  a  couple  of 
blocks  from  the  Kursaal.  Barring  the  absence  of 
mountain  and  lake  scenery  such  as  surrounds  one  on 
every  hand  in  Switzerland,  Weisbaden  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  cities  we  have  seen.  Most  of  the 
hotels,  pensions  and  the  better  class  of  private 
residences  are  surrounded  by  beautiful  grounds, 
embowered  in  lofty  spreading  sycamores  or  horse 
chestnuts,  and  filled  with  a  profusion  of  flowering 
plants  and  bushes,  scenting  the  air  with  delicious 
perfume.  Public  parks  are  numerous  and  the  trees, 
in  contradistinction  to  those  of  Italy  and  Switz- 
erland, are  not  subjected  to  the  constant  amputation 
of  top  and  branches,  but  are  permitted  to  reach  their 
full  natural  growth  and  beauty.  Some  of  the  syca- 
mores are  fully  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet  in 
height,  with  trunks  four  to  five  feet  in  diameter.  The 
city  has  something  over  one  hundred  thousand 
permanent  population,  and  they  derive  a  living,  and 
apparently  a  good  one,  from  the  two  hundred  thou- 
sand rheumatic  and  otherwise  human  wrecks  who 
are  said  to  visit  here  each  season  in  the  expectation 
of  being  relieved  of  some  of  their  pain  and  misery, 
and  incidentally  of  a  share  of  their  surplus  coin. 
The  springs,  of  which  there  are  fifteen,  have  their 
combined  outpour  of  five  thousand  gallons  per  hour, 
concentrated  at  the  Trinkhalle.  You  pay  forty 
pfennigs  or  ten  cents  for  admission,  and  are  furnished 


172 

as  many  glasses  of  hot  salt  water  as  the  strength  of 
your  stomach  and  the  pruriency  of  your  taste  will 
permit  you  to  drink.  One  curious  custom,  and  one 
that  is  most  hkely  to  create  rebellious  emotions  in 
the  average  American's  mind  is  the  rule  that  every 
visitor  is  subjected  to  by  the  city  authorities,  viz.: 
that  of  paying  what  is  called  a  visitors'  tax  of  thirty- 
seven  and  one-half  cents  for  one  day,  or  one  dollar 
and  a  half  for  ten  days,  provided  the  visitor  stays 
over  four  days  in  the  city.  The  Kursaal  or  Kurhaus, 
is  a  very  large  and  magnificent  building  more  than 
four  hundred  by  two  hundred  feet  in  size.  The 
interior  is  finished  off  in  highly  polished  marble  of 
various  hues.  It  contains  a  large  and  small  concert 
hall,  a  conversation  room,  gaming  room  and  a  reading 
room,  where  nearly  all  the  prominent  world's  news- 
papers and  magazines  are  to  be  found  on  file.  There 
is  also  a  wine  room  and  a  beer  saloon.  During  the 
summer  afternoon  and  evenings  the  band  dispenses 
sweet  music  in  the  charming  grounds  just  outside  the 
building.  Wiesbaden  and  its  healing  waters  were 
known  to  the  Romans,  and  there  are  yet  found 
remains  of  walls  and  ancient  baths. 

June  26  and  ^7.— Spent  the  time  wandering  around 
the  city  inspecting  and  exploring  its  many  shaded 
nooks,  visiting  the  Trinkhalle,  partaking  of  the  usual 
number  of  glasses  of  hot  spring  water,  and  killing 
time  in  the  evening  by  resorting  to  the  Kursaal,  with 
its  music  and  its  reading  room. 

June  28. — ^We  have  to-day  made  the  trip  down  the 
Rhine  as  far  as  Cologne,  which  includes  all  that 
portion  famed  in  book  and  story  for  its  grand  and 


173 

pictiiresque  scenery,  and  confess  to  a  distinct  and 
unexpected  disappointment.  That  some  stretches 
of  the  river  may  be  rightfully  considered  mildly 
picturesque  and  clothed  with  a  beauty  all  its  own, 
may  be  conceded,  but  that  it  approaches  grandeur 
or  presents  features  of  natural  scenery  not  common 
to  almost  any  stream  of  its  magnitude  and  length 
elsewhere  in  the  world,  is  certainly  not  apparent. 
In  fact  it  is  not  worthy  of  mention  in  the  same 
category  with  the  Hudson  or  the  Columbia  from  the 
standpoint  of  natural  scenic  attraction.  The  only 
unusual  things  it  can  offer  to  the  eye  of  the  curious 
traveler  are  a  few  old  dilapidated  and  ruined  castles 
perched  upon  the  rocks,  most  difficult  of  access, 
where  in  the  darkness  and  savagery  of  the  middle 
ages  the  robber  barons  or  chieftains  maintained  a 
defence  against  the  assaults  of  their  kindred  neigh- 
bors or  issued  at  the  head  of  their  criminal  bands  of 
retainers  to  rob  and  destroy  or  subjugate  all  the 
less  powerful  or  warlike  human  beings  within  reach. 
Speaking,  however,  from  the  standpoint  of  practical 
husbandry  and  commercial  importance,  the  Rhine 
and  the  country  adjacent  thereto  are  worthy  of  the 
highest  consideration.  Its  terraced  and  rocky  hill- 
sides are  blanketed  with  the  finest  wine-producing 
vineyards,  while  its  more  level  stretches  are  given 
over  to  the  production  of  grain,  hay  and  vegetables, 
with  here  and  there  a  small  orchard  of  apples,  pears 
and  cherries.  The  river  itself  is  fairly  teeming  with 
craft  of  all  kinds.  Regular  passenger  steamers  leave 
Mayence  for  Cologne  almost  every  hour,  while 
excursion  steamers  and  launches  are  plying  unre- 
mittingly from  place  to  place.  Almost  every  ten 
minutes,  as  we  steamed  down  the  river,  we  met  heavy 


174 

tug-boats,  each  having  in  tow  four  to  five  large 
barges,  laden  to  the  gunwale  with  coal,  lumber  or 
miscellaneous  merchandise.  All  this  river  traffic, 
however,  seemed  in  no  measure  to  minimize  the 
number  of  freight  or  passenger  trains  that  were  ever 
in  sight  passing  up  and  down  the  railroads  on  either 
side  of  the  river.  Cities  and  villages  hne  the  banks 
of  the  river,  the  most  important  of  which  are  Bingen, 
Boppard,  Coblentz,  Bonn  and  Cologne,  the  latter 
with  more  than  half  a  million  inhabitants.  Our 
journey  down  the  river  was  enlivened  at  various 
points  by  the  advent  of  numerous  bands  of  school 
children,  accompanied  by  their  teachers,  apparently 
on  picnic  excursions,  who  sang  their  national  hymns 
and  other  songs.  Historically  the  Rhine  fills  many 
a  page  and  volume  of  the  world's  most  dramatic 
and  tragic  events.  From  being  a  boundary  of 
Caesar's  conquests,  it  gave  passage  to  the  northern 
hordes  that  later  swarmed  the  broad  territory  and 
overthrew  the  power  and  prestige  of  the  Roman 
empire.  It  flanked  the  outposts  of  the  great  German 
Emperor  Charlemagne. 

Its  banks  became  the  scene  in  the  middle  ages  of 
many  a  raid  of  contending  bands  of  knights  of  the 
temple  and  chivalry.  Caesar,  Attila,  Charlemagne, 
Frederick,  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  Napoleon  all 
tasted  the  sweets  of  victory  within  sight  of  its  gleam- 
ing waters.  Rising  within  the  glacier-fed  canons  of 
Switzerland's  most  majestic  mountains,  and  winding 
its  tortuous  but  ever  northern  course  through  several 
cantons,  it  crosses  the  line  near  Basel,  supplying 
fertility,  transportation  and  commerce  the  full  length 
of  the  Kaiser's  realm  and  its  little  adjoining  neighbor, 
Holland,  where  its  waters  are  swallowed  up  in  the 


175 

greater  expanse  of  the  North  Sea.  Perhaps  no 
stream  in  Europe  has  furnished  the  theme  for  greater 
profusion  of  story,  myth  and  poetic  fancy.  Every 
chff  and  headland,  every  ruined  tower  and  every 
ancient  city  and  village  along  its  banks  is  rich  in 
romance  of  the  Age  of  Chivalry,  in  stories  of  relig- 
ious bigotry  and  cruelty,  in  barbarous  wars,  inhuman 
imprisonment  and  fiendish  torture  by  the  human 
tigers  of  the  Dark  Ages. 

June  29. — Visited  the  Cologne  Cathedral,  the  one 
great  sight  that  tempted  us  to  stop  over  here.  We 
were  particularly  fortunate  in  our  visit,  as  we  were 
privileged  to  witness  the  Cathohc  service  in  all  its 
pomp  and  ceremony.  As  we  entered  the  cathedral 
the  strains  of  the  great  organ  and  the  rich  musical 
voices  of  the  perfectly  trained  choir  filled  the  great 
auditorium.  A  thousand  electric  lights  illumined  the 
building  and  dispelled  the  deep  shadows  incident  to 
a  cloudy,  threatening  sky "  outside.  At  least  two 
thousand  worshippers  occupied  the  seats  and  filled 
the  aisles  in  front  of  the  altar,  behind  which  sat  the 
archbishop  and  ninety  priests,  at  regular  intervals 
chanting  and  intoning  the  sacred  service.  It  is  a 
great  cathedral;  its  tall  and  graceful  spires,  its  tower- 
ing columns,  its  lofty  ceiling  and  its  exquisite  stained 
glass  windows  would  compel  the  highest  possible 
encomiums,  were  it  not  that  we  have  already  seen 
the  great  Cathedral  of  Milan,  and  that  being  the 
case,  all  superlatives  are  exhausted. 

So  far  as  my  observation  has  gone  there  is  a  strong 
and  painful  contrast  between  Germany  and  America 
in  the  treatment  of  the  women.  There  seems  to  be 
an  entire  lack  on  the  part  of  men  of  that  chivalrous 


176 

and  deferential  treatment  of  the  female  sex  which 
prevails  in  America.  In  the  United  States  the  most 
abandoned  hobo  will  step  aside  on  the  street  to  allow 
a  lady  to  pass;  here  I  have  seen  handsomely  dressed 
ladies  crowded  off  the  sidewalk  into  the  gutter  to 
allow  the  passage  of  two  or  three  lusty  young  men 
who  have  selfishly  lined  themselves  across  the  pave- 
ment. Men  will  meet  on  the  street,  take  off  their 
hats  to  each  other  and  almost  bow  to  the  pavement 
in  excess  of  pohteness,  but  I  never  yet  saw  one  of 
them  lift  his  helmet  to  a  lady.  Again,  men  will  greet 
each  other  with  a  fervent  kiss  on  each  cheek,  which 
to  the  onlooking  American  produces  a  feeling  akin 
to  nausea,  and  while  they  may  have  a  reserve  fund 
of  salutations  for  their  wives  and  sweethearts,  the 
latter,  in  some  instances  at  least,  are  prone  to  waste 
their  sweetness  on  their  lap-dogs.  In  Germany,  as 
well  as  in  other  parts  of  Europe,  children  are  taught 
to  respect  and  obey  their  parents  and  in  all  other 
ways  to  submit  themselves  to  lawful  authority.  The 
disrespect,  the  disobedience  and  the  rough  hood- 
lumism  that  is  becoming  so  characteristic  of  American 
children  is  nowhere  in  evidence  here.  And  yet  it  is 
not  because  of  any  excess  of  inherent  cussedness  in 
the  American  child,  but  is  the  result  of  neglect,  bad 
training  and  lax  discipline  on  the  part  of  American 
parents. 

June  SO. — Took  another  look  at  the  Cathedral 
during  services  and  then  visited  the  old  church  of 
St.  Gereon,  which  though  a  rather  unpretentious 
building  outside,  has  been  recently  beautified  and 
embelhshed  in  the  interior  with  paintings  by  Gobbels. 
On  the  way  to  the  Cathedral  we  met  an  imposing 


177 

street  procession  of  a  religious  character,  headed  by 
a  band  of  music  and  a  cordon  of  priests,  followed  by- 
various  societies  or  guilds  bearing  banners,  staffs 
mounted  with  glass  enclosed  and  lighted  tapers,  and 
hundreds  of  children  bearing  dishes  of  rose  leaves  to 
be  scattered  at  the  altars.  The  streets  along  the 
route  of  the  procession  had  previously  been  littered 
with  oak  leaves.  The  affair  seemed  to  be  one  of 
great  religious  solemnity,  but  from  our  inability  to 
speak  or  understand  German  we  were  unable  to 
evoke  any  information  as  to  its  meaning  further  than 
that  one  man  said  it  was  Kermess.  In  the  afternoon 
we  took  a  ride  on  the  street  cars  out  to  one  of  the 
parks  or  gathering  places  of  the  people  for  Sunday 
recreation  and  amusement.  It  is  a  grand  gala  day 
for  all  classes.  The  tables  under  the  trees  are  filled 
with  family  groups  or  friendly  parties  making  them- 
selves comfortable  and  socially  joyous,  each  with 
"ein  glass  bier'^  or  '^ein  tasse  kaffe"  and  whatever 
of  fighter  beverages  and  cakes  or  confections  are  best 
suited  to  their  tastes.  All  are  well  clad  and  well 
behaved.  No  quarreling  or  bickering,  no  offensive 
language  or  conduct  and  no  evidences  of  intoxication 
are  to  be  seen. 

July  L — Left  this  morning  for  Amsterdam,  passing 
through  Dusseldorf,  Duisburg,  Oberhausen  and 
Wesel,  all  large  and  important  German  manufactur- 
ing towns.  At  Zevenaar  we  crossed  the  fine  into 
Holland  and  were  interviewed  by  the  customs  officer, 
who  readily  recognized  our  honest  poverty  and  grace- 
fully vised  our  hand  luggage.  Those  burdened  with 
trunks,  however,  were  compelled  to  see  them  hauled 
out  of  the  baggage  car  and  to  follow  them  to  the 
1677—12 


178 

customs  office,  where  they  were  opened  and  examined. 
From  here  on,  the  country  is  very  fiat  and  low,  much 
swamp  land  being  in  evidence,  but  affording  abund- 
ance of  rich  pasture  to  the  numerous  herds  of  Holstein 
cattle  that  diversify  the  landscape  in  every  direction. 
Many  of  the  quaint  old  Dutch  windmills,  familiar  in 
picture  books  of  our  childhood,  were  revolving  their 
long  and  awkward  arms  in  the  gentle  breeze.  After 
passing  Arnhem  the  character  of  the  country  rapidly 
improves.  The  soil  is  richer,  and  instead  of  pasture 
land  it  is  devoted  to  potatoes  and  other  garden  truck, 
including  sugar  beets.  After  passing  through  Utrecht 
and  sundry  small  villages  we  arrived  at  Amsterdam 
and  were  driven  to  the  Hotel  Philadelphia. 

July  2. — Visited  Ryks  Museum,  a  very  large  and 
imposing  building,  covering  three  acres  of  ground. 
It  is  dedicated  to  an  illustration  of  Dutch  art  and 
life.  On  the  lower  floor  is  an  immense  collection  of 
military  and  naval  weapons  from  the  fifteenth  to 
the  nineteenth  centuries,  many  of  them  of  very 
curious  and  ingenious  design.  There  are  mail  shirts, 
helmets,  steel  and  chain  armor,  small  arms  and 
cannon  of  every  conceivable  pattern,  together  with 
models  of  old  Dutch  men-of-war  and  English  and 
Spanish  naval  flags  captured  during  the  time  of 
Admiral  Van  Tromp  and  the  Dutch  ascendancy  as  a 
naval  power.  The  upper  floor  is  devoted  through- 
out its  numerous  long  galleries  to  paintings  by  Dutch 
artists,  numbering  over  three  thousand  subjects,  and 
representing  the  nation's  art  from  the  fifteenth 
century  down  to  the  present  time.  Rembrandt's 
^' Night  Watch"  is  the  most  celebrated  painting  here 
and  is  very  beautiful^  though  there  are  several  others 


179 

by  less  noted  artists  that  are  more  pleasing  to  my 
uneducated  eye.  There  is  also  an  almost  endless 
exhibit  of  works  in  gold  and  silver,  Dutch  cabinets 
and  vfood-work,  old  tapestries,  Gothic  furniture, 
porcelain  and  faience  ware,  engravings  and  sculp- 
tures. In  the  afternoon  we  took  a  carriage  and  drove 
around  the  city  for  two  hours,  visiting  the  old  section, 
the  Jewish  quarter,  and  the  wealthy  residence 
section.  The  latter  contains  many  large  and  costly 
houses,  but  were  architecturally,  from  the  American 
standpoint,  very  plain  and  unattractive. 

July  3. — This  morning  we  took  a  boat  for  the 
excursion  to  Marken  and  Volendam,  two  of  the  old 
villages  that  still  maintain  in  their  purity  the  primi- 
tive dress  and  habits  of  their  ancestors.  Marken^s 
population  is  wholly  Protestant  in  religion,  while  that 
of  Volendam  is  as  unanimously  Catholic.  The 
costumes  of  the  people,  though  radically  different 
in  the  two  villages,  are  strikingly  odd  and  picturesque. 
The  men  at  Marken  wear  trousers  that  resemble  two 
large  grain  bags  from  the  waist  to  the  knees,  where 
they  are  narrowed  into  the  size  of  the  leg  and  stop. 
The  men  at  Volendam  use  as  much  or  more  cloth  in 
their  trousers,  but  they  are  uniformly  large  all  the 
way  down,  and  reach  to  their  shoes.  The  women 
of  Marken  wear  a  bodice  of  wool  embroidered  in 
colors,  laced  up  the  back  and  with  sleeves  in  bright 
colored  stripes.  The  skirt  is  usually  of  blue  woolen 
and  is  underlaid  at  the  hips  with  a  large  roll.  The 
women  of  Volendam  are  more  sombre  in  their  colors, 
except  that  they  usually  wear  a  gay  colored  apron. 
Men,  women  and  children  of  both  places  wear  clumsy 
wooden  shoes.     On  this  trip  we  made  a  short  stop 


180 

at  Monnikendam  and  were  shown  through  a  dairy 
where  the  celebrated  Edam  cheese  is  manufactured. 
Everything  within  the  building  showed  evidence  of 
frequent  scrubbing  and  was  as  clean  as  water  could 
make  it,  and  this  applies  to  their  houses  as  well.  In 
fact,  cleanliness  seems  to  have  become  a  disease, 
epidemic  in  form,  and  scrubbing  goes  on  from  morn- 
ing to  night  both  inside  and  outside  a  house.  But 
gentle  reader,  this  passion  for  cleanliness  pertains, 
only  to  inanimate  things.  The  average  Hollander, 
when  it  comes  to  the  use  of  water  on  his  own  person, 
issues  a  decree  of  persona  non  grata.  He  has  an 
aversion  to  it  for  either  ablutions  or  drinking  pur- 
poses, and  among  the  poorer  classes  bathing  ,is  as 
scarce  as  gold  watches.  As  in  other  continental 
countries,  wages  are  on  a  scale  that  would  cause  an 
American  wage-earner  to  gasp  for  breath.  A  car- 
penter or  blacksmith  who  with  tolerable  regularity 
can  earn  five  dollars  a  week  is  proud  of  his  good 
fortune  and  of  the  comfort  with  which  he  can  support 
his  family.  But  the  coramon  laborer,  with  his 
penchant  for  a  rapidly  increasing  family,  is  compelled, 
as  fast  as  his  children  reach  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
to  send  them  out  to  the  workshop  and  factory  to 
supplement  the  family  income. 

Holland  is  a  country  of  canals  and  dykes.  Being 
for  the  most  part  below  the  ocean  level  at  high  tide, 
a  fight  has  been  carried  on  for  hundreds  of  years 
against  the  aggressive  action  of  the  sea.  In  times 
past  entire  villages  and  thousands  of  acres  of  land 
have  been  swallowed  up,  but  the  persistent  optimism 
and  grit  of  the  people  have  conquered,  so  that  in  the 
last  two  centuries  nearly  four  thousand  square  miles 
have  been  retrieved  from  the  desolation  of  the  waters. 


181 

The  canals  permeate  the  whole  country,  and  form 
the  main  method  of  transportation  of  merchandise, 
and  on  these  are  clmnsy  luggers  or  canal  boats  where 
more  than  fifty  thousand  people  find  constant  emplo}^- 
ment  as  well  as  homes.  Their  whole  life  is  passed  on 
these  boats,  and  they  pass  from  father  to  son,  both  as  a 
residence  and  an  occupation,  and  in  most  instances 
you  will  find  their  otherwise  unattractive  hulks 
beautified  by  numerous  pots  of  growing  plants,  bloom- 
ing flowers  and  merry  singing  birds,  for  the  Hollander 
is  a  great  lover  of  flowers. 

What  sort  of  a  country  Holland  is,  as  has  been  ex- 
pressed in  many  ways  by  many  authorities,  is  summed 
up  by  an  Italian  writer:  '^Napoleon  said  that  it  was 
an  alluvion  of  French  rivers — the  Rhine,  the  Scheldt 
and  the  Meuse,  and  with  this  pretext  he  added  it  to 
his  Empire.  One  writer  has  defined  it  as  a  sort  of 
transition  between  land  and  sea.  Another  as  an 
inamense  crust  of  earth  floating  on  the  water.  Others 
an  annex  of  the  old  continent,  the  end  of  the  earth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  ocean,  a  measureless  raft 
of  mud  and  sand,  but  all  are  agreed  upon  one  point, 
Holland  is  a  conquest  made  by  man  over  the  sea; 
it  is  an  artificial  country;  the  Hollanders  made  it; 
it  exists  because  the  Hollanders  preserve  it  and  it 
will  vanish  whenever  the  Hollanders  abandon  it.'^ 

But  the  wonderful  fight  made  against  the  forces  of 
nature  has  been  equaled,  if  not  surpassed,  in  her 
fight  against  organized  political  tyranny.  Overrun 
from  the  earliest  times  by  barbarous  Germans,  dev- 
astating Franks,  aggressive  Normans  and  piratical 
Danes,  and  devastated  for  centuries  by  the  bitter 
and  vindictive  passions  and  hatreds  of  civil  war,  her 
people  arose  superior  to  the  desolation  of  it  all,  and 


182 

fighting  to  a  victorious  issue  her  long  struggle  with 
the  Spanish  oppressor,  estabhshed  sl  republic  whose 
rise  has  been  so  graphically  depicted  by  our  own 
distinguished  historian,  Motley.  For  many  years 
hers  was  the  dominant  flag  upon  the  high  seas  and 
her  coffers  were  filled  with  the  wealth  of  returning 
cargoes  from  her  tributary  colonies  stretching  from 
the  East  to  the  West  Indies  and  the  Oceanic  islands. 
And  while  she  has  lost  that  militant  dominance  once 
attained,  her  commercial  traffic  along  peaceful  lines 
is  still  among  the  largest  in  proportion  to  her  area 
and  population  of  any  country  on  the  globe. 

July  4' — Left  Amsterdam  this  morning  for  The 
Hague.  The  country  along  the  route  is  of  the  same 
general  character  as  that  through  which  we  have 
previously  passed,  being  low  and  flat  and  devoted 
principally  to  the  growing  of  hay  and  raising  of  stock, 
except  in  the  vicinity  of  Haarlem,  where  the  chief 
industry  is  the  raising  of  bulbs  and  where  many 
fields  of  beautiful  flowering  plants  were  in  bloom. 
After  getting  located  in  our  hotel  we  visited  the 
Mauritshaus,  a  picture  gallery  which  is  quite  cele- 
brated, and  although  not  large,  contains  many  fine 
specimens  of  Dutch  art  by  Rembrandt,  Van  Dyck 
and  others.  From  the  picture  gallery  we  passed  to 
the  Binnenhoff,  a  large  room  which  is  used  for 
the  joint  sittings  of  the  two  legislative  bodies  and  for 
the  opening  of  the  States-general  by  the  Queen.  In 
another  room  we  saw  from  the  gallery  the  first  legis- 
lative chamber  in  session  and  listened  for  a  few 
minutes  to  its  proceedings,  which  were  as  quiet, 
dignified  and  dull  as  an  average  day  in  the  United 
States  Senate  chamber. 


183 

The  large  hall  in  the  Binnenhoff  is  the  place  where 
the  second  international  Peace  Congress  met  five  years 
ago.  In  the  afternoon  we  took  the  electric  train 
for  Scheveningen,  the  great  Dutch  watering  place. 
On  the  way  out  from  The  Hague  we  passed  many 
fine  residences  with  surrounding  grounds  filled  with 
fine  trees  and  beautiful  flowers,  the  homes  of  the 
magnates  of  the  Dutch  East  India  company,  whose 
wealth  has  been  accumulated  in  the  Oriental  trade. 
For  one-third  the  distance  the  cars  pass  through  a 
park  filled  with  a  dense  growth  of  native  forest  trees, 
through  which  meander  winding  paths  leading  to 
resorts  where  one  can  find  a  glass  of  wine  or  beer  and 
a  satisfying  luncheon.  Scheveningen  was  primarily 
a  fishing  village,  but  its  beautiful  beach,  extending 
for  several  miles  along  the  ocean  front,  has  attracted 
the  summer  resort  class  to  its  shores  and  there  has 
been  gradually  built  up  a  series  of  hotels,  restaurants 
and  knick-knack  shops  somewhat  similar  to,  though 
not  nearly  so  extensive,  as  those  of  Coney  Island  or 
Atlantic  City.  The  local  population  amounts  to 
twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  and  the  annual 
number  of  visitors  is  about  the  same.  Instead  of 
having  fixed  and  permanent  bathing  houses  along 
the  shore,  as  is  the  American  custom,  they  have  little 
houses  on  wheels  into  which  the  bather  enters  and 
proceeds  to  undress  and  don  his  bathing  suit.  He 
is  then  wheeled  out  into  the  surf,  descends  from  his 
w^agon,  and  when  through  bathing  calls  his  number 
and  the  wagon  is  pushed  out  to  him;  he  climbs  in, 
rinses  himself  with  fresh  water,  dresses,  and  the 
performance  is  over.  This  being  the  4th  of  July, 
our  landlord,  in  recognition  of  our  nationality, 
decorated  each  plate  at  breakfast  with  a  small  silk 


184 

American  flag.  The  news  of  the  nomination  of 
Woodrow  Wilson  reached  us.  He  has  of  late  pandered 
to  the  cry  of  the  socialist  and  labor  union  mob  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  catch  much  of  their  floating  vote, 
and  has  no  long  political  record  of  antagonisms  to 
overcome  among  the  bosses.  Taft  will  find  him  a 
hard  competitor  to  beat,  but  in  any  event  the  result 
of  the  two  conventions  has  been  to  seriously  cripple 
all  future  Presidential  aspirations  of  the  twin  Samp- 
sons of  dangerous,  if  not  demagogic  politics,  Roose- 
velt and  Bryan. 

July  5. — Left  The  Hague  this  afternoon  after 
having  taken  a  ride  through  various  sections  of  the 
city.  Passed  through  Delft,  Rotterdam,  Dordrecht 
and  Rosendaal,  reaching  the  Belgian  line  at  Esschen, 
where  the  customs  officer  boarded  the  train,  and  for 
the  first  time  examined  our  luggage.  Leaving 
Esschen,  we  soon  reached  Antwerp,  where  we  were 
unexpectedly  forced  to  change  cars  for  Brussels, 
which  city  we  reached  in  time  for  dinner.  The 
country  through  which  we  passed,  until  nearing  the 
boundary  line  between  Holland  and  Belgium,  was  like 
the  rest  of  Holland,  low  and  flat  and  devoted  almost 
entirely  to  hay  and  grazing.  But  the  Belgian 
country  is  higher  and  dryer  land,  devoted  mostly  to 
grain,  sugar  beets,  potatoes  and  garden  truck.  I  saw 
no  women  working  in  the  fields  such  as  has  been  the 
case  in  other  European  countries  through  which  we 
have  passed.  Since  leaving  Italy  we  have  seen  no  evi- 
dences of  extreme  poverty  and  want  among  the  lower 
classes.  In  Switzerland,  Germany,  Holland  and 
Belgium  the  beggars,  if  there  are  any,  are  religiously 
kept  from  view.    In  no  city,  so  far,  north  of  Italy 


185 

have  we  found  any  such  crowded,  disgusting  and 
destitute  tenement  quarters  as  are  to  be  seen  in  our 
own  New  York.  The  common  people  over  here  have 
a  more  satisfied  and  cheerful  look  than  the  gang  of 
offscourings  that  have  emigrated  to  our  ov,ti  shores, 
probably  because  they  are  what  are  left  after  elimi- 
nating the  dissatisfied,  the  rebellious  and  the  vicious. 

July  6. — Walked  down  town  in  the  morning  as  far 
as  the  Palace  of  Justice,  which  is  an  immense  building 
costing  about  nine  million  dollars  and  said  to  be  the 
largest  architectural  work  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
It  contains  twenty-seven  large  court  rooms  and  about 
two  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  square  feet  of 
space,  being  considerably  larger  than  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome.  The  discoloration  of  the  stone  by  smoke  and 
weather  sadly  mars  the  outside  beauty  of  the  building. 
Visited  the  Palais  des  Beaux-Arts,  which  is  filled 
throughout  its  long  corridors  and  galleries  with  stat- 
uary and  paintings,  many  Rembrandts  and  Van 
Dycks  being  in  evidence  in  addition  to  an  hundred 
other  names  more  or  less  noted  in  Dutch  and  Flemish 
arts.  The  gallery,  however,  in  the  quality  of  its 
paintings,  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  Pitti  and 
Ufizzi  galleries  at  Florence.  Brussels  is  divided  into 
upper  and  lower  towns.  Standing  at  the  Palace  of 
Justice  and  looking  almost  straight  down  in  front  of 
you  nearly  a  hundred  feet  and  stretching  far  out  over 
the  shghtly  undulating  plain  lies  the  lower  and  older 
portion  of  the  city,  while  the  newer  and  handsomer 
limits  of  the  upper  city,  its  main  thoroughfares  shaded 
with  large  and  beautiful  trees,  extend  to  the  Bois  de 
la  Cambre  and  beyond  toward  Waterloo. 


186 

July  7. — In  the  afternoon  took  the  cars  on  Louise 
Avenue  and  went  out  to  the  Bois  de  la  Cambre,  one 
of  the  municipal  parks.  It  is  filled  with  great  horse 
chestnut,  beech  and  oak  trees.  Some  of  the  beeches 
are  the  finest  I  have  seen  both  in  size  and  beauty. 
Many  of  them  range  from  three  to  four  and  one-half 
feet  in  diameter  and  a  single  specimen  I  noticed  was 
fully  five  feet  through  a  couple  of  feet  above  the  ground. 
An  excellent  band  discoursed  fine  music;  there  were 
hurdy-gurdys,  restaurants,  beer  saloons,  tennis  courts 
and  several  thousand  well  dressed  people  strolling 
around  and  seeking  restful  amusements.  One  fea- 
ture of  all  these  European  parks  is  that  although  they 
are  plentifully  supplied  with  benches  and  seats,  one 
has  hardly  time  to  sit  down  and  comfortably  adjust 
himself  before  a  satrap  appears  with  a  ticket-book 
and  demands  payment  for  the  use  of  the  seat.  In 
the  matter  and  manner  of  catching  the  strangers' 
centimes  and  francs,  both  going  and  coming,  these 
foreigners  have  us  Americans — using  one  of  our  slang 
phrases — skinned  a  city  block.  After  spending  an 
hour  or  two  at  de  la  Gambre  we  took  the  car  and  rode 
to  the  park  opposite  the  Royal  Palace,  but  found  that 
the  afternoon  music  was  over.  Dogs  are  utiHzed  to 
their  full  capacity  as  beasts  of  burden  in  Holland  and 
Belgium.  Nearly  every  push  cart  has  one  or  two 
dogs  harnessed  underneath  as  aid  to  the  owner  in 
propeUing  the  cart.  This  class  of  dogs  unquestion- 
ably earn  their  living.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
Amsterdam  and  Brussels  about  ten  per  cent  of  the 
women  and  five  per  cent  of  the  men  on  promenade 
are  either  leading  or  led  by  the  most  reprehensible  and 
insignificant  class  of  curs  imaginable. 


187 

With  a  denseness  of  population  greater  than  that 
of  any  other  country  in  Europe  it  is  essential  in 
Belgium  that  continuous  and  never  flagging  industry 
should  characterize  its  people.  And  while  this 
remark  includes  the  men  it  is  but  fair  to  say  that  it 
apphes  with  much  greater  force  to  the  women.  Their 
astonishing  capacity  for  work  is  manifest  in  every 
industry  and  employment.  In  nearly  all  the  smaller 
stores  and  shops  women  are  in  charge,  and  in  fact 
it  is  considered  rather  undignified  for  able-bodied 
men  to  mind  a  shop.  The  husband  usually  seeks  his 
employment  in  some  outside  business,  leaving  the 
wife  and  children  to  sell  the  bread,  the  cakes,  the 
candy,  the  fruit,  the  furnishing  goods  and  the  knick 
knacks  of  all  kinds.  In  place  of  our  milk  man,  they 
have  the  milk  maid  or  milk  woman  who  goes  from 
door  to  door  with  her  cart  drawn  by  two  or  three 
spiritless  and  humiliated  looking  dogs,  with  her 
brightly  polished  copper  or  brass  milk  cans.  It  is 
claimed,  however,  that  these  dogs  receive  the  special 
care  and  supervision  of  the  authorities,  and  that  any 
ascertained  cases  of  neglect  or  abuse  of  them  is 
promptly  corrected  and  the  offenders  adequately 
punished.  The  women  also  fill  the  numerous  lace 
factories,  and  with  deft  and  marvelous  skill  ply  their 
thread  bobbins  for  twelve  long  working  hours  each 
day,  and  withal  they  look  more  contented  and  happy 
than  do  the  working  women  on  our  side  of  the  water. 

July  8. — The  weather  here  has  been  a  pleasant 
disappointment.  Instead  of  being  hot  and  uncom- 
fortable it  has  been  cloudy,  cool  and  refreshing. 
To-day  it  was  almost  chilly,  and  altogether  on  our  trip 
since  leaving  Egypt  we  have  had,  with  only  now  and 


188 

then  a  day^s  exception,  typical  sight  seeing  weather. 
This  afternoon  we  made  a  visit  to  the  battlefield  of 
Waterloo,  distant  ten  miles  from  Brussels.  After  the 
changes  of  street  and  tram  cars  and  a  walk  of  about 
three  miles  we  reached  the  battlefield.  The  village 
of  Waterloo  is  a  long  straggling  hamlet  of  a  single 
street,  composed  mostly  of  somewhat  ancient  one- 
story  houses,  showing  no  signs  either  of  wealth  or 
abject  poverty.  The  battlefield  lies  from  two  to 
three  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Waterloo,  and  the 
battle  raged  with  the  greatest  fierceness  around  the 
chateau  of  Hougomont,  the  fortified  farmhouse  La 
Haie  Sainte  and  the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean.  About 
a  mile  south  of  Mont  St.  Jean  is  the  Butte  du  Lion. 
This  is  an  artificial  conical  hill  or  mound  two  hundred 
feet  in  height,  thrown  up  on  the  spot  where  the  Prince 
of  Orange  was  wounded,  and  is  surmounted  by  the 
bronze  figure  of  a  Lion  made  from  the  metal  of  the 
French  cannon  captured  at  the  battle.  About  two 
thirds  of  a  mile  south  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  near  the 
roadside,  stands  a  monument  to  Colonel  Gordon  and 
also  one  to  the  Hanoverian  Legion.  From  this  point 
there  is  a  wide  view  of  the  battlefield,  which  covers  a 
beautiful  stretch  of  undulating  country  now  rich  with 
a  ripening  harvest  of  golden  grain  and  redolent  with 
all  the  signs  of  peace  and  prosperity. 

July  9. — Strolled  about  the  city;  visited  the  Hotel 
de  Ville  and  sundry  other  localities.  While  Brussels 
is  a  large  and  compact  business  city,  it  is  common- 
place in  appearance  and  lacks  the  many  interesting 
and  novel  sights  that  have  hitherto  greeted  us  in 
many  other  places.  The  Hotel  de  Ville,  which  by  the 
way,  in  the  American  sense  is  not  a  hotel  at  all,  is,  with 


189 

the  possible  exception  of  the  Palace  of  Justice,  the 
most  conspicuous  and  the  handsomest  building  in 
Brussels.  It  is  the  product  of  different  centuries. 
The  oldest  portion,  now  constituting  the  left  wing,  dates 
from  a  little  prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  the  right  wing  some  half  century  later. 
On  the  lofty  and  graceful  tower  stands  a  colossal 
statue  of  the  archangel  St.  Michael,  the  patron  saint 
of  the  city,  while  the  front  and  sides  of  the  building 
are  adorned  with  statues  of  various  saints,  dukes  and 
allegorical  groups.  The  building  fronts  on  a  large 
open  square,  around  the  other  three  sides  of  which  are 
several  buildings  of  local  note,  including  the  Maison 
du  Roi,  in  which  is  a  small  museum,  and  the  Guild 
Halls  of  sundry  corporations.  From  here  I  strolled 
over  to  the  Boulevard  de  Waterloo,  and  along  the 
same  to  the  Porte  de  Hall,  which  is  one  of  the  old 
gateways  of  the  city  and  the  only  one  now  standing. 
It  is  a  massive  and  gloomy  looking  building  with  a 
tower  and  bastions,  and  dates  back  to  a  hundred 
years  before  the  discovery  of  America.  During  the 
cruel  days  when  the  Duke  of  Alva  cursed  the  country 
with  his  atrocities  it  was  used  as  the  Bastile  of 
Brussels.  The  interior  is  filled  with  a  collection  of 
ancient  arms  and  armor.  Like  all  other  European 
cities  of  prominence,  Brussels  has  a  cathedral  of  which 
she  is  proud,  but  while  it  is  a  fine  building  it  is  not  to 
be  mentioned  in  the  same  class  with  those  of  Venice, 
Milan  or  Cologne.  Like  all  other  cathedrals,  it  boasts 
a  patron  saint  in  the  person  of  Saint  Gudule,  a  virgin 
of  some  twelve  centuries  ago.  Her  life  was  filled 
with  penances,  mortifications  of  the  flesh  and  miracles. 
Among  other  well  estabhshed  incidents  in  her  life — 
which  no  modern  skeptic  will  presume  to  doubt,  it  is 


190 

related  that  when  a  rash  and  over-arduous  suitor 
sought  to  steal  a  kiss  from  her  saintly  lips,  a  column 
of  the  church  opened  at  her  command  and  received 
her  within  its  cold  and  stony  protection  until  the 
misguided  youth  departed.  The  pulpit  of  the  cathe- 
dral is  a  massive  and  beautiful  specimen  of  the  art  of 
wood  carving  and  represents  the  expulsion  of  Adam 
and  Eve  from  the  garden  of  Eden.  High  up  in  the 
nave  are  ranged  colossal  statues  of  the  twelve 
apostles,  and  round  about  the  choir  are  the  heraldic 
shields  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Fleece. 

July  11. — Nothing  doing  but  resting  and  strolling 
about  town. 

July  12. — Left  Brussels  for  Paris.  The  country 
through  which  we  passed  was  level  or  slightly  rolling. 
Bountiful  crops  of  wheat,  barley  and  oats  were  being 
harvested  and  numerous  orchards  were  scattered 
along  the  route.  The  towns  through  which  we  passed 
seemed  to  be  filled  with  various  manufacturing  plants. 
Reached  Paris  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon. 

July  13. — ^Visited  the  Pantheon,  the  gardens  and 
gallery  or  Musee  du  Luxembourg.  The  weather  was 
very  hot  and  sultry  and  made  sight-seeing  somewhat 
of  a  burden,  but  the  statuary  and  pictiu-es  on  exhi- 
bition were  full  compensation  for  the  effort.  Paris  is 
a  swirling,  seething  maelstrom  of  electrified  humanity. 
It  is  a  concentrated  sounding-board  for  all  the  varied 
noises  that  were  ever  played  upon  the  tympanum  of 
the  human  ear.  There  seems  to  be  no  governor  or 
controlling  hand  on  the  safety  valve  of  the  engine. 
Everything  and  everybody  seem  to  run  hell-bent  in 
full  accordance  with  their  own  notions.    Automobiles, 


191 

electric  cars  and  omnibuses,  taxi-cabs,  in  fact,  every- 
thing in  the  transportation  Hne,  runs  at  topmost  speed, 
without  regard  to  the  rights,  privileges  or  safety  of 
the  human  race.  A  mere  pedestrian  has  no  rights 
that  these  insane  chauffeurs,  conductors  and  drivers 
are  bound  to  respect.  Man,  woman  or  child  must 
take  all  chances  in  crossing  the  most  crowded  thorough- 
fares, without  a  policeman  in  sight  to  assist  or  to  aid 
in  controlling  or  directing  the  congested  traffic.  If 
human  life  is  worth  a  continental  in  this  paradise  of 
the  commune,  neither  the  people  nor  the  authorities 
give  any  evidence  of  it.  It  seems,  as  I  am  told,  that 
the  law  of  the  city  gives  vehicles  the  preferential  right 
to  the  use  of  the  streets,  and  that  if  any  pedestrian  is 
not  alert  enough  to  get  out  of  the  way,  he  not  only  is 
run  down,  but  if  there  is  anything  of  an  animate 
nature  left  of  him,  he  is  liable  to  assessment  for  any 
damage  he  may  have  caused  to  the  vehicle  that 
knocked  him  down  and  out.  It  reminds  me  of  the 
question  propounded  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  Bible 
passage,  ^Hhe  quick  and  the  dead,"  and  the  answer 
was  that  if  you  were  quick  you  escaped  the  auto- 
mobile, and  if  not  you  were  dead. 

We  also  visited  to-day  the  famous  manufactory  of 
Gobelin  tapestries  and  saw  the  artists  weaving 
them.  It  is  a  most  wonderful  work.  The  artists 
are  employed  by  the  government;  they  are  paid  six 
thousand  francs  per  annum  and  only  work  when  the 
spirit  moves  them.  These  tapestries  are  not  sold, 
but  are  used  in  making  gifts  to  foreign  potentates  and 
governments. 

July  14' — Took  a  boat  on  the  Seine  as  far  as  the 
Louvre  station  and  thence  transferred  to  the  tram 


192 

cars  on  the  way  to  Versailles,  it  being  the  under- 
standing that  as  this  is  the  anniversary  of  the  storm- 
ing of  the  Bastile,  and  a  national  holiday,  that  not 
only  would  the  palace  be  open  to  visitors,  but  that  all 
of  the  eighty-six  fountains  would  be  in  full  play  in 
the  grounds.  The  engine  on  our  train  had  a  severe 
attack  of  congestion  of  the  lungs,  threatening  devel- 
opment into  mechanical  pneumonia,  and  while  under- 
going medical  treatment  delayed  us  at  frequent 
intervals  along  the  road.  Arriving  at  last  we  found 
to  our  dismay  that  the  palace  was  closed.  Nothing 
but  a  stroll  around  the  beautiful  and  extensive 
grounds  was  left  for  us  to  do,  while  awaiting  the 
promised  fountain  display  which  was  to  take  place 
at  5  P.  M.  Thick  groves  or  forests  of  magnificent 
trees  lent  beauty  and  cool  refreshing  restfulness  to 
the  surroundings.  The  trees,  however,  instead  of 
being  left  to  the  guiding  and  artistic  hand  of  nature, 
have  been  required  to  adapt  their  habits  of  growth 
and  expansion  to  the  peculiar  ideas  of  landscape 
gardeners  whose  preference  seems  to  have  run  to 
geometric  exactness  and  stiffness  of  outline.  Thus 
many  trees  are  shaved  off  or  curtailed  of  their  limbs 
on  one  side  and  made  to  present  a  flat  surface; 
others  are  pruned  of  their  graceful  and  ambitious 
tops  and  made  to  branch  out  and  look  like  a  row  of 
one  story  African  huts  with  thatched  roofs.  This 
mutilation  of  forest  shade  trees  seems  to  prevail 
almost  everywhere  we  have  been  except  in  Germany. 
After  waiting  until  the  hour  for  the  supposed  fountain 
exhibit  we  learned  that  they  would  not  be  in  action, 
and  with  this  second  disappointment  subduing  our 
enthusiasm  we  returned  to  our  hotel.  At  10  P.  M. 
we  proceeded  to  the  Place  Hotel  de  Ville  to  witness 


193 

the  illumination  and  fireworks.  An  immense  crowd 
had  assembled  and  the  fireworks  were  very  interesting 
and  beautiful  in  their  effects.  The  avenue  was  illu- 
minated in  the  conventional  way  with  arches  and 
strings  of  various  colored  electric  lights,  and  after  the 
fireworks  were  over  the  band  discoursed  dancing 
music  for  those  whose  enthusiasm  was  sufficiently 
alert  to  trip  the  light  fantastic  toe.  The  crowd,  in 
spite  of  many  evidences  of  an  over-indulgence  in 
wine  and  spirits,  was  quite  good-natured  and  not 
over  boisterous. 

July  15. — Changed  our  quarters  to  the  Hotel 
London  and  New  York,  near  the  Gare  St.  Lazare,  and 
in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  busiest  sections  of  the  city. 
The  street  in  front  of  the  hotel  is  crowded  with  all 
sorts  of  vehicles  and  an  infinite  number  of  people,  all 
in  a  violent  hurry  to  get  somewhere  other  than  where 
they  are.  Crossing  the  street  successfully  is  an  act 
of  agility  on  which  a  veteran  of  nearly  three  score  and 
ten  can  well  pride  himself.  To-day  we  visited  the 
church  of  the  Madeline  or  St.  Mary  Magdalen.  It 
was  begun  by  Napoleon  as  a  temple  of  glory,  but 
finished  by  Louis  18th  as  an  expiatory  church  to  the 
memory  of  Louis  XVI  and  Marie  Antoinette.  It  is 
an  imposing  structure,  surrounded  by  a  colonnade  of 
beautiful  corinthian  columns,  and  according  to  the 
guide  book  is  354  feet  long,  141  broad  and  100  high. 
Sculptures  and  paintings  of  more  or  less  merit  adorn 
the  inner  walls  and  chapels.  In  the  street  leading 
from  here  to  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  Communists 
erected,  at  the  time  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  a 
stout  barricade  which  was  stormed  by  the  French 
troops  entering  Paris  from  Versailles  and  only  taken 
after  heavy  fighting  and  great  slaughter, 


194 

July  16, — ^Visited  the  Hotel  des  Invalides  and  the 
tomb  of  Napoleon.  Lying  between  the  river  Seine 
and  the  Hotel  des  Invalides  is  the  Esplanade,  which, 
aside  from  a  few  rows  of  sickly  and  discouraged  elm 
trees,  looks  in  the  summer  sun  like  a  hot  corner  of 
the  great  Sahara,  although  it  is  spoken  of  by  the 
people  with  great  pride  and  lauded  in  the  guide-books 
as  a  place  of  wonderful  magnificence  and  beauty. 
A  handsome  stone  bridge,  known  as  Pont  Alexandre 
III,  connects  the  Esplanade  with  the  Champs 
Ely  sees.  The  Hotel  des  Invalides  is  an  immense 
rambling  structure  and  was  founded  by  Louis  XIV 
in  1670  as  a  home  for  the  wounded  and  invalid 
French  soldiers,  disabled  in  the  wars  of  France.  At 
one  time  the  institution  contained  seven  thousand 
inmates,  but  the  number  is  now  reduced  to  twelve 
individuals,  and  the  building  is  turned  into  a  museum 
of  military  accoutrements,  arms  and  spoils  of  war. 
The  dome  of  the  Invalides  is  the  most  striking  feature 
of  the  whole  building.  In  the  very  centre  of  the 
interior  is  the  tomb  of  Napoleon  I,  and  surrounding 
it  in  their  several  niches  are  the  tombs  of  several 
Marshals  of  Louis  XIV  and  sundry  members  of 
Napoleon's  family. 

July  17. — Spent  the  afternoon  wandering  through 
the  endless  galleries  of  the  Louvre,  bestowing  a  passing 
glance  upon  the  acres  of  paintings  upon  the  walls, 
representing  the  most  eminent  of  the  world's  artists 
during  the  last  four  centuries.  The  heat  for  the  past 
two  days  has  been  very  oppressive  and  sight-seeing 
an  exhaustive  burden.  Paris  is  the  most  uncom- 
fortable, the  most  nerve-racking  and  the  most  unsat- 
isfactory place  so  f^r  as  the  quantity  and  quality  of 


195 

the  food  supply  is  concerned  that  we  have  yet 
encountered.  In  the  variety  and  volume  of  its 
noises  it  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  original  Bedlam. 
In  its  dangers  to  life  and  limb  the  modern  aeroplane 
is  a  vehicle  of  safety  compared  with  it.  The  restau- 
rants fill  a  hungry  heart  with  hope,  but  reahzation 
crucifies  that  hope  between  two  thieves — the  pro- 
prietor and  the  waiter.  Its  women — some  of  them — 
are  striking  in  dress  and  appearance,  but  their  voices 
are  as  raucous  as  a  flock  of  ravens.  The  sidewalks  in 
front  of  hotels  and  restaurants  are  filled  with  tables 
at  which  succeeding  and  endless  crowds  of  leisurely 
people  are  sipping  wine,  beer  or  mineral  water.  An 
American  cocktail  or  sherry  cobbler  would  seem  like 
an  oasis  in  this  vast  desert  of  beverages,  but  the 
cunning  hand  of  the  expert  mixer  is  a  stranger 
within  the  gates. 

July  18. — Not  well.    Rested  at  hotel  all  day. 

July  19. — Visited  the  palace  and  forest  of  Fontain- 
bleau.  The  chateau  or  palace,  is  about  one  and 
one-half  hours  ride  by  rail  from  Paris.  It  is  a  large, 
low,  rectangular  building,  mostly  two  stories  in 
height,  and  the  older  portion  dates  from  the  six- 
teenth century.  It  is  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and 
is  surrounded  by  beautiful  well-shaded  grounds, 
elaborate  flower  beds  and  a  large  carp  pond,  where  the 
carp  in  countless  thousands  fight  like  a  drove  of 
hungry  hogs  for  the  scraps  of  bread  that  are  thrown 
to  them  by  curious  visitors.  Historically  this  cha- 
teau is  one  of  the  most  interesting  spots  around  Paris. 
It  was  built  for  Francis  I,  and  has  been  the  summer 
home  and  resort  of  every  French  monarch  from  his 


196 

time  down  to  and  including  Napoleon  III .  Here  Louis 
XIV  signed  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 
Here  Napoleon  Bonaparte  divorced  the  Empress 
Josephine.  Here  Louis  XV  was  married  and  Napo- 
leon III  was  baptized.  Here  Napoleon  I  bid  adieu 
to  the  Old  Guard  on  his  abdication  of  the  throne  and 
here  he  reviewed  the  Old  Guard  on  his  return  from 
Elba.  Within  the  walls  of  the  chateau  is  a  magnifi- 
cent suite  of  apartments  where  Pope  Pius  VII  was  im- 
prisoned by  Napoleon's  order;  and  here  lived  Marie 
Antoinette,  Madame  de  Maintenon,  Catharine  de 
Medici  and  Anne  of  Austria,  the  mother  of  Louis  XIV. 
Near  the  entrance  to  the  Chateau  is  a  monument  to 
Rosa  Bonheur,  consisting  of  a  large  bronze  bull, 
designed  by  herself  mounted  upon  a  granite  base 
which  is  adorned  with  a  portrait  of  herself 
and  three  bas-reliefs  of  her  paintings.  The  fur- 
nishings and  adornments  of  the  various  depart- 
ments in  the  palace  are  rich,  ornate,  and  in  most 
instances  very  beautiful,  especially  the  gilded  and 
frescoed  ceilings,  the  Gobehn  tapestries  and  the 
elaborately  carved  furniture.  Leaving  the  chateau 
we  sought  a  restaurant  for  lunch,  where  the  usual 
holdup  was  practised  on  us.  viz:  six  francs  for  two 
cups  of  coffee  and  one  dish  of  sliced  tomatoes;  three 
francs  for  use  of  napkins  and  a  franc  and  one-half  for 
use  of  knife  and  fork.  Through  some  unaccountable 
oversight  the  waiter  forgot  to  charge  us  for  wine  that 
we  did  not  order  and  did  not  have.  It  must  be  as 
Barnum  said,  that  the  American  people  love  to  be 
humbugged,  else  they  would  not  continue  to  flock  to 
Paris  and  be  subjected  to  the  bold,  devious  and  num- 
berless methods  of  Parisian  swindhng  that  are  prac- 
ticed upon  them*    After  lunch  we  took  a  two  hours^ 


197 

drive  through  the  famous  forest  of  forty  thousand 
acres,  which  for  picturesqueness  of  scenery  and 
beauty  of  forest  growth  can  be  totally  eclipsed  by  a 
drive  in  almost  any  large  American  forest  tract  from 
Maine  to  California.  With  an  air  of  intense  pride 
our  driver  took  us  to  what  he  called  the  gorge  and 
had  us  alight,  walk  through  it  and  meet  him  on  the 
other  side.  It  bore  about  as  much  comparison  in 
depth,  beauty  and  grandeur  to  Chico  canon  as  Marys- 
ville  Buttes  do  to  Mt.  Shasta.  We  were  shown  the 
largest  tree  in  the  forest — an  oak  about  SJ  to  6  feet 
in  diameter — perhaps  100  to  110  feet  high,  but  with 
no  considerable  spread  of  branches  and  in  no  wise 
comparable  in  size  or  beauty  to  our  Sir  Joseph  Hooker 
oak  on  Rancho  Chico. 

July  20. — Another  day  of  rest  as  the  result  of  a 
severe  cold. 

July  21. — Made  a  second  trip  to  Versailles,  this 
time  by  steam  cars.  Fortune  favored  us,  for  the 
Palace  was  open  and  the  fountains  were  in  action. 
The  latter  exhibit  was  more  or  less  of  a  disappoint- 
ment. Notwithstanding  all  the  picturesque  and 
highly  colored  praise  that  has  been  devoted  by  guide- 
books and  tourists  to  this  so-called  wonderful  display, 
it  is  in  no  sense  to  be  compared  with  the  exhibits 
along  the  same  line  that  millions  of  Americans  saw 
at  both  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Expositions.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Palace,  both  from  a  historic  and 
artistic  standpoint,  contains  much  that  is  highly 
interesting.  Originally  a  hunting  chateau  for  Louis 
XIII,  it  was  enlarged  by  Louis  XIV  and  made  his 
real  seat  of  government,  space  enough  being  provided 


198 

for  the  residence  of  his  entire  court  and  their  retainers, 
to  the  number  of  ten  thousand,  and  at  an  estimated 
cost  including  the  laying  out  of  the  park  and  gardens 
of  one  hundred  million  dollars.  Nearly  one  hundred 
rooms  and  vestibules,  some  of  them  of  immense  size, 
with  ceilings  elaborately  and  beautifully  frescoed,  are 
filled  with  paintings,  statuary  and  GobeUn  tapestries. 
Many  of  the  paintings  are  of  indifferent  execution  and 
small  value,  but  there  are  many  historic  and  impres- 
sive battle  scenes,  showing  how  ^^  man's  inhumanity  to 
man"  during  the  last  five  centuries  has  ^^made  count- 
less thousands  mourn."  The  Gallery  des  Glaces,  a 
magnificent  room  more  than  two  hundred  feet  long 
and  nearly  fifty  feet  high  contains,  a  series  of  frescoes 
representing  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  It  was  in  this 
room  that  King  William  of  Prussia  was  crowned 
Emperor  of  Germany  in  1871,  after  the  German  occu- 
pation of  Paris.  The  apartments  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon  contain  many  portraits,  including  one  of 
herself  by  Elle.  In  the  Gallery  of  Battles  a  large 
painting  of  special  interest  and  significance  to  Ameri- 
cans is  that  of  the  seige  of  Yorktown,  conducted  by 
General  Washington  and  his  French  ally.  General 
Rochambeau.  Battles  and  portraits  of  Napoleon 
I  are  manifest  on  all  sides,  including  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Bonaparte  family.  In  fact.  Napoleon 
seems  to  have  been  almost  as  universal  a  subject  for 
the  artists  here  as  the  Saviour  and  the  Holy  Family 
were  with  Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo.  After  our 
exit  from  the  palace  we  wandered  through  the 
grounds  to  the  Grand  and  Petite  Trianons,  the  former 
of  which  was  erected  by  Louis  XIV  for  the  occupancy 
of  his  mistress,  Madame  de  Maintenon.  In  the  salon 
of  this  building  Marshal  Bazaine  was  tried  and  found 


199 

guilty  of  treason  for  his  conduct  during  the  Franco- 
German  war. 

July  22. — Visited  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  or 
National  Library,  containing  some  four  million 
volumes,  and  being  the  largest  collection  of  books  and 
manuscripts  in  the  world.  The  library  is  most 
miserably  and  inconveniently  housed,  most  of  the 
rooms  being  small  and  wanting  proper  light.  It 
contains  very  many  rare  and  beautiful  literary  treas- 
ures, an  enumeration  of  which  would  fill  a  large 
volume.  Many  samples  of  superb  bindings  in  gold, 
silver  and  ivory,  adorned  with  semi-precious  stones, 
are  in  evidence,  as  are  also  hand-illuminated  volumes 
of  the  tenth  to  the  thirteenth  centuries.  In  one  case  is 
a  volume  by  Michael  Servetus,  which  was  saved  from 
the  flames  when  the  author  was  burned  at  the  stake 
in  Geneva,  by  order  of  Calvin.  Here  also  is  a  copy  of 
the  Mazarin  bible,  printed  in  1455  and  said  to  be  from 
the  press  of  Gutenburg;  an  old  catalogue  of  the 
Library,  dated  1373,  and  a  copy  of  the  Voyage  of 
Amerigo  Vespucci,  printed  in  1502.  There  is  a 
cabinet  of  medallions  and  antiques,  comprising  gems, 
intaghos,  cameos,  etc.  From  the  library  we  walked 
to  the  Bourse  and  saw  and  heard  the  French  brokers 
going  through  the  same  crazy  and  excited  perform- 
ances that  can  be  witnessed  almost  any  day  in  Wall 
Street  Stock  Exchange  or  the  Chicago  Wheat  Pit. 

July  23. — Mounted  an  omnibus  and  alighted  at 
the  Trocadero  an  extensive  building  adorned  with 
statuary,  being  a  survival  of  the  Paris  Exposition 
of  1878.  From  here  we  walked  across  a  bridge  over 
the  Seine  to  the  Eiffel  Tower  and  ascended  by  the 
elevator  to  the  second  station,  from  whence  a  beautiful 


200 

and  extensive  view  of  the  city  is  obtained.  From 
here  by  boat  we  ascended  the  Seine  to  Sevres,  about 
six  miles.  Passing  through  a  shaded  street  or  park 
we  reached  the  museum,  where  the  most  surpassingly 
beautiful  specimens  of  Sevres  china  are  on  exhibition. 
It  is  hard  to  conceive  of  anything  more  exquisite  and 
delicate  than  these  products  of  human  genius.  Here 
are  to  be  found  copies  in  porcelain  of  some  of  the 
most  noted  paintings  of  world  renowned  artists,  ex- 
actly true  in  every  minute  detail  of  color  and  drawing. 
Here  also  are  an  infinite  variety  of  plates,  dishes  and 
vases,  many  of  the  latter  of  gigantic  proportions  and 
each  worth  a  small  fortune,  one,  the  Vase  Neptune, 
being  ten  feet  high  and  decorated  with  designs  as 
beautiful  and  fascinating  as  an  oriental  dream.  We 
were  taken  into  the  workshop  and  shown  a  glimpse 
of  the  methods  of  manufacture,  including  the  kilns, 
but  were  not  permitted  to  see  much  of  the  detail. 
Leaving  the  factory  at  Sevres  we  walked  through  a 
long  avenue  or  park  to  the  park  and  palace  of  St. 
Cloud,  or  rather  to  the  place  where  the  palace  stood 
ere  its  destruction  during  the  Franco-Prussian  war. 
This  park  contains  nearly  a  thousand  acres  and  is 
beautifully  laid  out  with  broad  drives,  profusely 
adorned  with  statuary  and  a  majestic  fountain  called 
the  Grande  Cascade,  the  main  jet  of  which  rises  to  a 
height  of  nearly  one  hundred  and  forty  feet.  St. 
Cloud  was  frequently  the  resort  of  Napoleon  I,  and 
was  a  favorite  summer  residence  of  Napoleon  III. 

July  24' — Another  day  of  idUng  and  rest. 

July  25, — In  the  afternoon  we  made  another  visit 
to  the  Louvre.  The  collections  of  the  Louvre  are 
of  various  kinds,  embracing  paintings,  drawings,  en- 


201 

gravings,  sculpture,  ancient  and  modern,  Assyrian, 
Egyptian  and  Greek  antiquities,  Algerine  and  sun- 
dry  other  museums,  and  a  beautiful  collection  of 
enamels  and  jewels.  To  the  visitor  whose  time  is 
limited  only  general  impressions  are  received  and 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  artistic  gems  of  world- 
wide note,  he  gains  no  definite  or  detailed  knowledge 
of  the  thousands  of  subjects  offered  for  his  observa- 
tion. 

July  26. — Peter  the  Great,  of  Russia,  is  alleged  to 
have  once  said  that  if  he  possessed  such  a  town  as 
Paris  within  his  dominion  he  should  be  tempted  to 
burn  it  down  for  fear  it  should  absorb  the  rest  of  his 
empire.  Every  rural  Frenchman  ever  has  a  longing 
eye  and  a  hopeful  heart  for  the  day  when  he  can  live 
in  Paris.. 

Balzac  has  said  of  it,  ^Taris  is  a  veritable  ocean. 
Drop  in  your  sounding  hne  and  you  will  never  learn 
its  depth.  Traverse  it,  describe  it  if  you  will,  yet 
with  whatever  care  you  traverse  or  describe  it,  and 
however  numerous  and  eager  may  be  explorers  of 
this  ocean,  there  will  always  be  found  one  spot  still 
virgin  and  unknown,  flowers,  pearls,  monsters  or 
something  unheard  of  or  forgotten  by  literary  divers. '^ 

Paris  is  a  hving  exhibit  of  the  world's  different 
countries,  their  architecture,  streets,  peoples  and 
customs.  The  clannishness  of  the  human  race  has 
led  to  the  gathering  in  various  distinct  quarters  of  the 
representatives  of  almost  every  language  and  coun- 
try. To  a  foreigner,  especially  to  one  who  has  never 
left  his  country  before,  an  hour  spent  on  the  boule- 
vards or  on  one  of  the  chairs  in  the  Garden  of  the 
Tuilleries  would  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  primal 


202 

object  of  French  men  and  women  of  every  class  is  to 
make  life  as  easy  and  pleasant  as  possible;  to  live  for 
the  present,  ignore  or  forget  the  past  and  take  hair- 
breadth chances  on  escaping  future  penalties.  In  fact, 
pleasure  in  Paris  becomes  a  business  that  is  prosecuted 
with  all  the  zeal  and  persistency  of  which  the  mer- 
curial French  temperament  is  capable. 

July  27. — Wandering  with  a  purposeless  step 
around  the  streets,  Paris  impresses  me  as  a  city  of 
striking  contrasts.  There  is  modern  Paris,  with  its 
nineteenth  century  imposing  architecture  and  its 
fashionable  multitudes  passing  down  the  broad 
luxurious  Rue  de  Rivoli,  all  gaiety  and  radiance. 
A  few  steps  and  the  busy  lengths  of  the  Rue  S.  Honore 
are  before  you,  lined  by  the  tall,  many-windowed 
houses  that  have  been  the  breeding  places  of  so  many 
revolutions.  Innumerable  balconies,  domes,  win-, 
dows  and  little  niches  are  filled  with  boxes  of  carna- 
tions and  other  brilliant  flowers,  while  the  whirling 
and  kaleidoscopic  crowd  in  the  street  below  is  com- 
posed mostly  of  workingmen  in  blouses  and  women 
in  white  aprons  and  caps.  For  five  hundred  years 
this  has  been  one  of  the  most  crowded  streets  of  Paris. 
The  gate  defending  this  street  was  assaulted  by  the 
legions  of  Joan  of  Arc  more  than  five  centuries  ago; 
here  the  shot  that  opened  the  revolution  of  1830  was 
fired,  and  here  were  witnessed  some  of  the  most  des- 
perate struggles  between  the  insurgents  and  the 
mihtia  in  the  revolution  of  1848. 

July  28  and  29. — Were  spent  in  resting  and  per- 
forming a  few  necessary  errands  preparatory  to  leaving 
for  London. 


203 

July  SO. — Left  Paris  for  London  this  morning,  via 
Dieppe,  passing  through  Rouen  and  sundry  small 
towns.  The  country  is  green  and  fresh  from  recent 
heavy  showers,  though  much  grain  in  the  fields  is 
badly  lodged  and  that  in  the  shock  thoroughly 
soaked.  The  general  appearance  and  topography  of 
the  country  differed  little  from  that  of  a  railroad  trip 
through  Ohio  or  Indiana,  except  that  you  see  no  fields 
of  Indian  corn.  Arriving  at  Dieppe  we  boarded  the 
steamer  for  crossing  the  English  channel.  A  light 
breeze  at  our  departure  soon  ripened  into  a  stiff  gale, 
and  before  an  hour  had  passed  many  a  good  lunch 
had  gone  to  feed  the  fishes,  though  I  had  the  good  luck 
to  keep  a  strangle  hold  on  mine.  We  reached  New 
Haven,  on  the  English  coast,  shortly  before  6  o'clock, 
and  after  an  hour  spent  in  waiting  for  the  customs 
officers  to  vise  all  the  baggage,  the  train  departed 
for  London,  passing  through  a  country  green  and 
beautiful,  but  with  very  much  lighter  crops  of  grain 
than  greeted  the  eye  in  France.  The  dairy  industry 
however  seemed  to  "cut  more  ice''  than  on  the  other 
side  of  the  channel.  The  residences  in  the  towns 
along  the  route  were  of  a  generally  uniform  size  and 
ugliness.  There  was  no  symptom  of  architectural 
variety  or  taste.  We  reached  London  at  8  o'clock, 
and  drove  to  the  Strand  Palace  Hotel  only  to  find 
there  was  not  a  vacant  room  in  the  house,  but  found 
comfortable  quarters  at  Haxell's  Hotel,  next  door. 

July  SI, — Rained  all  day  and  weather  conducive 
to  overcoats.  Strolled  up  and  down  the  Strand  from 
Ludgate  Circus  to  Trafalgar  Square.  At  the  latter 
place  is  a  beautiful  and  imposing  monument  to  Lord 
Nelson,  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height 


204 

and  defended  at  each  of  the  four  corners  by  a  massive 
bronze  Hon  modeled  by  Sir  Edwin  Landseer.  Other 
portions  of  the  square  are  adorned  by  less  pretentious 
monuments  of  Sir  Henry  Havelock,  Sir  Charles 
Napier,  Gen.  ^'Chinese"  Gordon  and  King  George  IV. 
In  the  evening  attended  the  Royal  Opera  by  the  Rus- 
sian ballet  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre.  The  music 
was  exquisite,  the  dancing  very  good — though 
I  have  seen  better,  and  the  scenic  display  above  the 
average,  but  not  to  be  compared  to  the  wonderful 
staging  of  the  Hippodrome  in  New  York.  Our  hotel 
fronts  on  the  Strand,  at  one  of  the  busiest  points  in 
London.  The  street  is  filled  with  a  busy  throng  of 
autos,  cabs  and  omnibuses,  but  unlike  Paris,  they  are 
not  outting  corners  at  forty  miles  an  hour,  but  con- 
form to  the  controlling  hand  of  a  level-headed  and 
keen-eyed  police,  who  seem  to  have  been  instructed 
that  the  life  of  a  pedestrian  is  worthy  of  protection 
against  the  reckless  dare-devilism  of  the  average 
chauffeur.  For  six  months  we  have  been  wandering 
in  countries  where  the  English  language  is  practically 
an  unknown  tongue,  and  now  it  seems  almost  like 
home  to  land  in  a  country  where  you  can  make  your 
wants  known  and  understood  by  any  chance  stranger 
you  may  meet  on  the  street. 

August  1. — Wandered  up  and  down  the  Strand; 
also  took  an  outside  view  of  Somerset  House,  crossed 
the  Waterloo  Bridge  and  wandered  down  to  the  bank 
of  the  Thames.  This  afternoon  my  dear  old  friend. 
General  Burdett,  of  Washington  city,  arrived,  looking 
as  fresh  and  fine  as  a  man  of  seventy-seven  years 
could  ever  hope  to  look.  His  face  is  round  and  smooth 
and  without  a  wrinkle,  and  God  bless  him,  he  looks 


205 

good  for  another  decade  of  life  and  enjoyment  among 
the  remnant  of  the  Old  Guard  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  who  love  and  revere  him. 

August  2. — Spent  the  day  visiting  with  Burdett. 

August  3. — In  company  with  Burdett  we  visited 
the  Victoria  Monument  in  St.  James  place  or  park, 
a  tract  converted  by  Henry  VIII  from  a  hospital  for 
lepers  into  a  royal  park,  and  which  has  been  added  to 
from  time  to  time  since,  until  it  contains  nearly  one 
hundred  acres,  and  is  beautified  with  green  lawns, 
variegated  flowers,  handsome  trees  and  a  small  lake 
or  pond.  The  monument  stands  immediately  in 
front  of  Buckingham  Palace,  is  of  white  marble,  and 
occupies  the  centre  of  a  circular  space  within  which 
are  allegorical  groups  representing  the  various  British 
colonies.  At  the  base  of  the  pedestal  of  the  monu- 
ment is  a  heroic  statue  of  Queen  Victoria,  surrounded 
by  sundry  allegorical  groups,  while  the  top  is  crowned 
by  a  bronze  figure  of  Victory.  From  the  monument 
we  drove  to  the  Parliament  House,  and  as  that  body 
was  not  in  session,  were  permitted  to  pass  through 
both  the  chambers  of  the  Lords  and  Commons,  the 
King's  robing  room,  the  Royal  gallery,  the  Princes' 
chamber,  St.  Stephen's  Hall  and  Westminister  Hall. 
In  the  latter  is  shown  the  spot  where  Charles  I  stood 
when  he  received  sentence  of  death,  and  here  Crom- 
well was  proclaimed  as  Lord  Protector,  only  to  have 
his  body  a  few  years  later  disinterred  from  West- 
minster Abbey  and  his  head  set  upon  a  pole  on  one 
of  the  pinnacles  of  Westminster  Hall.  Here,  also, 
WiUiam  Wallace,  the  hero  of  that  ancient  novel, 
^'The  Scottish  Chiefs,"  was  condemned  to  death,  and 


206 

the  conspirator,  Guy  Fawkes,  of  Gunpowder  Plot 
fame,  met  his  fate.  It  was  also  the  scene  of  the 
acquittal  of  Warren  Hastings  after  his  famous  seven 
years  trial.  We  next  proceeded  to  Westminster 
Abbey,  the  Mausoleum  of  England's  men  of  great 
renown. 

August  4- — Went  with  Burdett  to  Victoria  station 
and  saw  him  leave  for  Eastboxu-ne,  preparatory  to 
returning  to  America.  In  the  afternoon,  in  company 
with  a  gentleman  from  New  York,  we  visited  the 
National  gallery,  and  there  found  many  pictures  of 
world-wide  fame  by  such  artists  as  Rubens,  Titian, 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  Rosa  Bonheur,  Murello,  Millais, 
Gainsborough  and  others.  Later  I  strolled  down  to 
old  London  bridge,  whose  history  has  been  an  impor- 
tant part  of  London's  life  almost  since  the  days  of  the 
Norman  conquest.  In  fact,  a  wooden  bridge  existed 
on  this  site  in  the  days  of  the  Saxon  Heptarchy,  and 
even  that  is  supposed  to  have  been  preceded  by  one 
under  the  later  Roman  rule.  But  the  famous  stone 
bridge  was  begun  about  one  hundred  years  after 
WilKam  th-e  Conqueror  humbled  Saxon  power  and 
pride  at  the  battle  of  Hastings,  and  occupied  some 
thirty  odd  years  in  construction.  It  was  built  upon 
nineteen  stone  arches  and  was  described  by  a  distin- 
guished traveler  about  four  hundred  years  ago,  who 
wrote:  ^^Over  the  river  at  London  there  is  a  beautiful 
long  bridge,  with  quite  splendid,  handsome  and  well 
built  houses  which  are  occupied  by  merchants  of 
consequence.  Upon  one  of  the  towers,  nearly  in  the 
middle  of  the  bridge  are  stuck  up  about  thirty-four 
heads  of  persons  of  distinction,  who  had  in  former 
times  been  condemned  and  beheaded  for  creating 


207 

riots  and  for  other  causes."  About  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago  the  houses  on  the  bridge  were  all 
cleared  away,  partly  to  relieve  the  great  weight  and 
partly  to  give  greater  space  for  the  passage  of  the 
largely  increased  traffic. 

August  5  and  6. — Showers  of  rain  every  few  minutes. 
Visited  the  Tate  gallery,  containing  many  beautiful 
modern  paintings  by  Reynolds,  Gainsborough,  Land- 
seer  and  numerous  other  artists  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

Opposite  our  hotel  is  a  saloon  called  ^'The  Coal 
Hole,'^  wherein  the  liquors  are  served  by  the  typical 
English  bar-maid,  of  whom  so  much  has  been  written. 
Apparently  it  is  a  first  class,  respectable  place,  so  far 
as  respectability  can  attach  to  such  a  business,  which 
however  is  not  so  much  under  the  ban  as  it  is  in 
America.  It  is  also  apparent  that  almost  everybody 
here  and  on  the  continent  patronizes  the  liquor  sellers 
as  openly  and  as  matter  of  fact  as  they  would  a  lunch 
counter,  and  in  a  majority  of  instances  the  liquor 
constitutes  a  portion  of  their  meal.  Seldom  do  you 
see  men,  as  in  America,  rush  up  to  the  bar,  call  for  a 
drink,  gulp  it  down  at  a  swallow  and  go  their  way, 
but  on  the  contrary  a  man  will  sit  down,  often  with 
his  wife  or  some  other  man's  wife,  and  spend  half  or 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  sipping  a  glass  of  wine  or 
beer,  accompanied  by  a  cake  or  sandwich. 

August  7. — Went  to  see  the  monument  erected  in 
commemoration  of  the  great  London  fire  of  1666, 
which  is  a  single  column  rising  to  a  height  of  more 
than  two  hundred  feet.  There  being  no  "lift,"  I 
declined  to  chmb  its  staircase  of  some  three  or  four 


208 

hundred  steps,  for  the  sake  of  the  view.  Leaving 
the  monument  I  walked  to  St.  Paul's  Church. 
Although  of  vast  proportions  it  induces  no  such  feel- 
ing of  commanding  awe  and  admiration  as  St.  Peter's, 
the  Cathedral  of  Milan,  or  even  that  at  Cologne. 
The  main  body  of  the  church  as  you  enter  shows  only 
plain  stone  walls,  discolored  and  soiled  by  the  hands 
of  Time,  with  the  liberal  assistance  of  London  smoke 
and  fog.  Toward  the  farther  end,  however,  above 
and  surrounding  the  altar,  within  the  last  few  years 
steps  have  been  taken  toward  carrying  out  a  system 
of  interior  decoration  in  which  gilding,  rich  mosaics, 
stained  glass  and  polished  marble  are  prominent 
factors,  and  which,  if  continued  uniformly  throughout, 
will  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  and  attractiveness  of 
the  edifice.  Throughout  the  auditorium  are  many 
marble  statues  commemorating  the  lives  and  deeds 
of  England's  noted  mihtary  and  naval  heroes,  though 
none  of  them  are  of  a  very  high  order  of  artistic  merit. 
Taken  altogether,  the  Cathedral  bears  no  comparison 
in  beauty  of  architecture  or  interior  adornment  to 
many  of  the  churches,  mosques  and  cathedrals  we 
have  hitherto  seen  on  the  continent. 

August  8. — Rain,  rain  and  more  rain.  Visited  the 
Albert  Memorial,  erected  at  a  cost  of  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  to  the  memory  of  Prince  Albert, 
consort  of  Queen  Victoria.  It  is  located  in  the  south- 
erly part  of  Kensington  Garden,  and  is  175  feet  in 
height.  The  base  is  a  broad  platform  approached  by 
granite  steps.  The  four  corners  of  the  approach  are 
ornamented  by  allegorical  groups  in  white  marble 
representing  the  four  continents  upon  which  England 
holds    territorial    possessions.     The    lower    portion 


209 

of  the  pedestal  is  square  in  form,  bearing  at  the  cor- 
ners marble  groups  representing  respectively  agri- 
culture, manufactures,  commerce  and  engineering. 
A  frieze  in  relief  surrounds  each  side  of  the  pedestal, 
representing  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  men  of  all  the  ages,  famous  as  painters,  poets, 
musicians,  architects  and  sculptors.  On  top  of  the 
pedestal  sits  a  colossal  bronze  statue  of  Prince  Albert 
under  a  gothic  canopy — the  statue  gilded.  The 
canopy  is  surrounded  by  a  gilt  cross  and  underneath 
is  richly  ornamented  with  mosaics,  gilt  and  colored 
stones. 

Kensington  Garden,  in  which  the  memorial  stands, 
is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  wooded  park  adjoin- 
ing and  forming  an  extension  to  Hyde  Park.  Passing 
through  the  garden,  viewing  on  our  right  a  pond 
called  the  Serpentine,  which  divides  Kensington 
from  Hyde  Park,  and  where  the  poet  Shelley's  first 
wife  committed  suicide  by  drowning,  we  soon  reached 
Kensington  Palace,  a  non-imposing  brick  edifice,  but 
historically  noted  as  the  place  where  William  III  and 
his  Queen  Mary  died,  and  where  Queen  Victoria  was 
born  and  resided  until  the  time  of  her  coronation. 
A  few  only  of  the  rooms  are  open  to  public  inspection, 
and  these  contain  a  number  of  the  playthings,  dresses, 
etc.,  belonging  to  Queen  Victoria  in  her  earlier  years, 
as  well  as  many  paintings  of  England's  rulers  and  states- 
men and  heroes  of  noted  naval  engagements.  Retrac- 
ing our  steps  through  Kensington  Garden,  Ken- 
sington Gore  and  Exhibition  Road,  we  came  to  South 
Kensington  Museum,  which  is  a  most  imposing  build- 
ing of  gigantic  proportions,  being  some  seven  hundred 
feet  in  length.  Within  its  walls  is  perhaps  the  most 
complete,  historic  and  chronologic  exhibit  of  deco- 


210 

rative  and  applied  art  in  the  world.  Eoom  after  room, 
and  corridor  after  corridor,  are  filled  with  unending 
specimens  of  Italian,  French,  English,  Spanish, 
Flemish,  and  German  sculpture  in  marble,  alabaster, 
stone,  glazed  terra-cotta  and  wood,  running  through 
the  centuries,  mediaeval  and  modern  wood-work, 
furniture,  plaques,  panels  and  cabinets.  Like  rooms 
and  corridors  are  devoted  to  cloths  and  tapestries 
dating  from  those  found  in  the  early  Egyptian  tombs 
down  to  the  present  time.  Still  other  rooms  are  filled 
with  plaster  or  other  reproductions  of  the  world's 
most  famous  architectural  achievements  as  shown  in 
temples,  churches,  palaces  and  other  public  and  pri- 
vate buildings.  Also  to  be  seen  is  a  multitudinous 
collection  of  goldsmith  and  silversmith  work  and 
ancient  enamels,  together  with  specimens  of  brass 
work,  bronzes,  clocks,  spoons  and  pewter  work. 
There  is  also  a  loan  collection  belonging  to  Pierpont 
Morgan  of  bronzes,  old  jewelry,  porcelain,  ivory- 
carvings,  etc.,  and  which  is  now  being  packed  up  for 
shipment  to  America. 

August  9. — Showers  at  intervals  all  day.  Mounted 
a  two  story  omnibus,  and  after  a  long  ride  through 
South  London,  landed  at  the  south  end  of  Tower 
Bridge,  a  magnificent  triumph  of  engineering  skill, 
one-half  mile  long  and  costing  the  munificent  sum 
of  eight  milhon  dollars.  Crossing  the  bridge  on  foot 
we  visited  the  Tower  of  London,  a  building  fraught 
with  more  of  England's  eventful  history,  and  the 
scene  of  more  misery,  more  hopeless  despair,  devilish 
cruelty  and  wanton  murders  than  any  other  spot  on 
English  soil.  Here  the  malignity  and  jealousy  of  that 
much  married  monarch,  Henry  VIII,  held  full  sway 


211 

and  the  axe  of  his  official  executioner  ended  the 
earthly  career  of  Sir  Thomas  Moore,  Anne  Boleyn, 
Queen  Catharine  Howard,  the  Earl  of  Essex,  and  the 
Countess  of  Salisbury.  Here  at  an  earlier  period 
were  confined  John  Baliol  and  David  Bruce,  kings  of 
Scotland,  as  well  as  that  sturdy  and  unselfish  Scotch 
patriot.  Sir  William  Wallace.  But  even  an  allusion 
to  all  the  noted  happenings  in  the  tower  would  make 
a  good  sized  volume.  The  tower  itself  is  an  irregular 
mass  of  buildings  representing  many  changes  and 
additions,  from  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror  to 
Henry  III.  Its  massive  stone  walls  are  thirteen  feet 
in  thickness  and  were  once  surrounded  by  a  deep 
moat.  For  many  years  it  was  occupied  as  a  royal 
palace,  but  not  since  the  time  of  Charles  II.  It  is 
now  used  as  a  government  arsenal  and  fortress,  and  in 
the  courtyard  we  witnessed  an  interesting  drill  of  the 
garrison  troops.  In  that  portion  of  the  building 
called  the  Wakefield  Tower,  in  a  glass  case  surrounded 
by  steel  frame-work  are  the  crowns  and  royal  regalia 
and  ornaments.  The  crown  originally  made  for 
Queen  Victoria  and  altered  for  Edward  VII  is  made 
of  gold  and  contains  nearly  three  thousand  diamonds, 
besides  three  hundred  pearls  and  other  precious 
stones.  The  famous  Cullinane  diamond,  which  was 
presented  to  King  Edward  by  the  government  of 
Transvaal,  has  been  cut  into  two  stones,  and  they  are 
here  exhibited  under  the  name  of  the  Stars  of  Africa. 
There  are  several  other  crowns  of  gold  and  precious 
stones,  besides  sceptres,  staffs,  bracelets,  basins,  etc. 
all  of  sohd  gold.  The  total  value  represented  in  the 
exhibit  we  were  told  by  the  guardian  exceeds  thirty- 
five  million  dollars. 


212 

August  10. — Showery  again  at  intervals  all  day. 
Visited  the  National  Portrait  Gallery.  Here  in  some 
thirty  odd  rooms  are  assembled  the  portraits  of  more 
than  sixteen  hundred  eminent  Britons,  carrying 
national  and  many  of  them  world-wide  reputations 
for  military,  naval,  scientific  and  literary  achieve- 
ments. The  portraits  are  arranged  in  chronological 
order,  beginning  about  the  year  1350,  and  covering  the 
period  from  the  reign  of  Richard  II  down  to  and 
including  the  Victorian  era.  Of  England's  poets 
the  earliest  portrait  is  that  of  Geoffrey  Chaucer, 
followed  by  the  Chandos  portrait  of  the  immortal 
Bard  of  Avon.  Then  come  Milton,  Pope,  and  Dryden, 
and  in  their  turn  all  that  splendid  galaxy  of  the 
eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  whose  names  are 
household  words  among  cultivated  Americans.  Rare 
old  Ben  Jonson,  and  England's  great  cynic  philos- 
opher, Samuel  Johnson,  together  with  the  satirical 
and  of  times  '^naughty"  Dean  Swift;  the  profound 
philosopher  and  corrupt  statesman,  Lord  Bacon;  the 
most  fascinating  essayist,  the  most  picturesque  por- 
trayer  of  human  motives  and  action,  though  not  the 
most  rehable  in  his  deductions  and  conclusions,  T. 
Babington  McCaulay  and  that  trinity  of  modern 
philosophic  scientists,  Darwin,  Huxley  and  John 
Stuart  Mill,  are  all  here.  The  only  Americans  who 
have  been  dignified  and  honored  with  a  place  on  these 
walls  are  George  Washington,  painted  by  Gilbert 
Stuart,  and  Benjamin  Franklin. 

August  11. — Ascended  to  the  second  story  of  a 
Strand  onmibus,  and  after  threading  the  tortuous 
streets  of  London  and  the  approaches  thereto  for 
nearly  two  hours,  we  reached  Hampton  Court,  the 


213 

largest  of  all  the  English  palaces,  built  nearly  four 
hundred  years  ago  by  Cardinal  Wolsey  and  by  him 
presented  to  Henry  VIII.  It  is  surrounded  by 
extensive  grounds,  adorned  with  the  most  beautiful 
and  elaborate  beds  of  flowers,  and  shaded  with  tower- 
ing oaks,  horse  chestnuts  and  sundry  other  varieties 
of  trees  whose  accumulation  of  years,  unlike  those  of 
man,  have  added  to  their  strength,  beauty  and  fas- 
cination. Under  a  glass  canopy  near  the  palace  is  a 
patriarchal  grape  vine  of  the  black  Hamburg  variety, 
nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  with  a  stem 
thirteen  inches  in  diameter  and  with  thirteen  hundred 
bunches  of  delicious  looking  grapes  pendant  from 
its  branches.  The  palace,  which  is  built  of  red  brick 
and  like  nearly  all  English  architecture,  severely 
plain  in  outward  appearance,  contains  one  thousand 
rooms,  eight  hundred  of  which  are  now  occupied  by 
aristocratic  pensioners  of  the  crown.  The  remaining 
rooms,  or  at  least  that  portion  of  them  now  open  to 
the  public,  are  filled  with  a  few^  acres  of  paintings,  most 
of  which  are  mediocre  and  uninteresting  in  character 
compared  with  those  we  have  seen  elsewhere.  Here 
Henry  VIII  spent  much  of  his  time  with  his  assort- 
ment of  wives.  Anne  Bolejm  presided  over  his  house- 
hold at  frequent  banquetings,  and  here  Jane  Seymour 
died  after  giving  birth  to  Edward  VI,  and  in  quick 
succession  Catharine  Howard  and  Catherine  Parr 
were  publicly  acknowledged  as  Queens  of  England, 
and  here  also  in  succession  resided  King  Edward  VI, 
Queen  Mary,  Queen  Elizabeth,  James  I  and  Charles  I. 
After  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  had  ceased  we  wended 
our  way  to  the  boat  landing  on  the  Thames  for  a  trip 
back  to  London  on  the  river.  The  first  half  of  the 
ride  was  delightful.     Immediately  after  leaving  the 


214 

landing  our  steamer  passed  a  long  row  of  house-boats 
occupied  as  summer  residences  by  those  seeking  out- 
door sports.  Many  of  these  boats  are  most  elabo- 
rately furnished  and  the  upper  decks  surrounded  with 
a  wealth  of  most  beautiful  flowering  plants  in  boxes 
and  pots.  The  river  was  thickly  dotted  with  small 
row  boats,  gasoline  launches,  etc.,  filled  with  young 
people  and  old;  lovers  and  past  lovers  who  seemed,  in 
spite  of  the  falling  temperature  and  cold  wind,  to 
enjoy  summer  dresses  and  shirt  sleeves.  For  several 
miles  both  sides  of  the  river  are  made  attractive  with 
summer  homes,  green  sward  and  abundant  flowers 
and  trees,  and  their  owners  or  occupants  are  appar- 
ently determined  to  have  a  good  time  in  spite  of  the 
weather,  picnicking,  boating  and  fishing.  Kingston, 
an  old  Saxon  town,  is  soon  reached,  where  some  of  the 
earlier  kings  of  England  were  crowned.  Then  comes 
Tedington,  where  we  passed  through  a  lock  and  soon 
reached  Twickenham,  the  residence  and  burial  place 
of  Pope  and  only  a  short  distance  from  Strawberry 
Hill,  the  one-time  home  of  Horace  Walpole .  Opposite 
Twickenham  is  Petersham,  where  the  grave  of  Cap- 
tain Vancouver,  the  Pacific  coast  navigator,  is  located. 
Continuing  down  the  river  we  reached  Isleworth,  a 
favorite  residence  of  London  business  men,  where 
many  fine  residences  and  wooded  grounds  add  beauty 
to  the  scene.  Here  also  is  another  lock  through 
which  we  dropped  to  the  lower  reach  of  the  river. 
Then  comes  Kew,  with  its  noted  Botanical  Gardens, 
followed  by  Chiswick,  Hammersmith,  Putney  and 
Fulham,  and  finally  Westminster,  where  we  landed 
and  returned  by  omnibus  to  our  hotel. 


215 

August  12. — Thunder  showers  still  on  the  regular 
bill  of  fare.  In  the  afternoon  visited  the  National 
History  Museum,  which  is  a  branch  of  the  British 
Museum.  It  is  contained  in  a  handsome  and  enor- 
mous stone  building  and  offers  a  most  complete 
exhibit  of  the  world's  animals,  birds,  reptiles,  insects 
and  fishes,  including  many  specimens  of  extinct  and 
pre-historic  species.  Exhibits  are  given  of  the  family 
groups  of  many  animals  and  birds,  showing  the  vari- 
ations of  their  coats  at  different  seasons  and  their 
color  adaptability  to  their  immediate  surroundings. 
Many  butterflies  and  other  insects  possess  this  faculty 
in  marked  degree,  and  although  when  in  flight  they 
are  conspicuous  for  their  brilliant  coloring,  as  soon  as 
they  alight  and  fold  their  wings  they  become  in  color 
and  appearance  a  part  of  the  tree  or  plant  upon  which 
they  are  resting.  Exhibits  are  presented  also  of  the 
variation  of  species,  the  effect  of  cross-breeding, 
albinism,  etc.,  in  animals.  There  is  also  a  large  and 
complete  mineralogical  and  botanical  exhibit. 

August  IS  and  14- — Overcoats,  umbrellas  and 
galoshes  in  constant  requisition.  Visited  Kew,  where 
are  located  the  extensive  and  beautiful  botanic  garden 
and  arboretum.  The  grounds  contain  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  outside  of  the  greenhouses 
are  embelHshed  with  specimens  of  almost  every 
variety  of  tree  and  bush  that  will  stand  the  winter 
temperature  of  England.  Many  of  the  trees,  espe- 
cially oaks,  sycamores  and  horse  chestnuts,  are  of 
great  size.  Within  the  numerous  greenhouses  are 
to  be  found  an  infinity  of  trees,  plants  and  flowers 
from  the  tropical  and  subtropical  regions,  among 
which  are  lace-hke  ferns,  curiously  shaped  and  gor- 


216 

geously  colored  orchids,  water  lilies  of  every  known 
variety,  including  the  famed  Victoria  Regia,  with  its 
circular  leaves  six  feet  in  diameter,  and  which  was 
almost  ready  to  unfold  its  beautiful  blossom.  The 
Egyptian  lotus  was  also  in  evidence  in  full  bloom,  as 
were  many  varieties  of  pitcher  plants.  Sir  Joseph 
Hooker,  the  eminent  English  botanist,  was  for  many 
years  preceding  his  recent  death  the  director  of  the 
gardens.  In  1877  he  visited  Rancho  Chico,  and  after 
pronouncing  an  oak  tree  growing  there  to  be,  so  far  as 
he  knew,  the  largest  oak  in  the  world,  General  Bid- 
well  named  the  tree  the  ^^Sir  Joseph  Hooker  Oak." 

August  15  and  16. — Housed  up  on  account  of  the 
continuous  rain. 

August  17. — Left  London  for  a  visit  to  Stratford  on 
Avon,  distant  some  ninety  miles.  Passed  through 
several  towns  of  more  or  less  importance,  including 
Oxford,  Banbury,  Leamington  and  Warwick.  Ar- 
riving at  Stratford  we  secured  the  services  of  a  small 
boy  who  offered  himself  as  guide,  and  proceeded  first 
to  Shakespeare's  house,  where  upon  the  payment  of  a 
shilling  per  head  we  were  permitted  to  wander  through 
the  half  dozen  rooms  and  inspect  many  old  relics  in 
the  line  of  furniture,  deeds  and  miscellaneous  articles, 
few  of  which  held  any  personal  relation  to  Shake- 
speare or  his  life  career.  There  were  many  supposi- 
tions and  beliefs  expressed  to  the  more  or  less 
credulous  tourist  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  numer- 
ous relics  on  exhibition,  but  even  the  curator  of  the 
museum  was  not  willing  to  risk  a  positive  guarantee 
concerning  the  majority  of  them.  The  house  is  a 
fair  sample  of  the  residence  of  a  family  of  modest 


217 

means  of  that  period,  with  a  total  lack  of  what  in 
these  days  would  be  considered  necessary  conven- 
iences by  the  humblest  day  laboring  tenant.  Leaving 
the  house  we  visited  what  is  known  as  the  ^'new- 
place,"  purchased  by  Shakespeare  in  later  Ufe  and 
where  he  died.  The  house  has  long  since  disappeared, 
but  an  inscribed  tablet  in  the  yard  indicates  the  sup- 
posed location  of  the  room  in  which  he  died.  Walk- 
ing from  here  to  the  church  where  he  is  buried, 
another  six  pence  admits  you  to  the  interior.  On  the 
way  to  the  church  we  passed  the  residence  of  Marie 
Corelli,  the  novelist,  the  front  of  which  is  beautifully 
adorned  with  flowering  plants  and  English  ivy.  We 
also  passed  the  house  wherein  once  lived  the  mother 
of  John  Harvard,  founder  of  Harvard  University. 
After  partaking  of  luncheon  we  called  a  carriage  and 
drove  to  Anne  Hathaway's  cottage,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  distant.  It  is  a  thatched  farm  house  of  the 
Ehzabethan  period  and  contains  among  other  relics 
the  bench  upon  which  it  is  alleged  young  Shakespeare 
and  older  Anne  sat  during  their  evening  courtship. 
Anne's  bedstead,  with  heavy  walnut  posts  and  a 
fairly  well  preserved  plaited  straw  mattress,  are  also 
shown.  The  home  in  its  interior  finishings  shows  all 
the  earmarks  of  the  age  in  which  it  was  erected,  and 
the  thatched  roof,  more  than  a  foot  thick,  is  covered 
in  many  places  with  a  volunteer  growth  of  grass, 
weeds  and  wild  flowers.  It  is  claimed  that  more 
than  thirty  thousand  visitors  arrive  every  year,  and 
the  town  Hves  mainly  upon  their  disbursements. 
The  river  Avon,  which  courses  along  one  side  of 
Stratford,  is  a  fine  flowing  stream,  and  many  row 
boats  are  for  hire  for  a  ride  up  and  down  its  stretches. 
The  coimtry  between  London  and  Stratford  is  slightly 


218 

rolling,  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  owing 
to  the  over-abundant  rains  that  have  prevailed  every 
day  so  far  during  the  month  of  August,  the  meadows 
and  trees  are  beautiful  in  their  luxuriant  coats  of 
green.  The  rains  and  low  temperature  however  have 
occurred  at  a  time  when  haying  and  harvesting  were 
in  full  progress,  and  have  caused  vast  losses  in  crops 
to  the  farmers  all  over  England  and  Scotland,  as  well 
as  on  the  continent. 

August  18. — Jupiter  Pluvius  still  reigns  and 
showers  his  blessings  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust 
alike.  Took  an  omnibus  and  rode  down  to  Petticoat 
Lane,  where  every  Sunday  morning  is  held  an  open 
air  auction  market.  The  narrow  street  is  densely 
crowded  with  people,  some  coming  out  of  curiosity 
and  some  looking  for  bargains  at  the  innumerable 
small  merchant  stands,  where  every  conceivable 
article  of  cheap  and  second  hand  goods  is  offered  for 
sale,  mostly  at  auction.  A  large  proportion  of  these 
goods  are  popularly  supposed  to  have  been  stolen. 
Leaving  Petticoat  Lane  we  rode  to  Hyde  Park  and 
Park  Lane,  viewed  the  aristocratic  mansion  of  the 
American  minister,  the  imposing  stone  palace  of  the 
late  Barney  Barnato,  of  South  African  diamond 
fame,  and  sundry  other  millionaire  residences,  crossed 
over  into  the  park  where  a  crowd  were  listening  to  the 
female  orators  of  a  suffragette  meeting,  one  of  whom, 
a  very  pleasing  and  cultivated  looking  lady  proved 
to  be  a  Mrs.  Dr  Moore,  of  San  Francisco,  who  sought 
to  impress  her  audience  with  the  great  moral  revolu- 
tion that  had  been  brought  about  in  California 
through  the  successful  domination  of  that  most 
tjrannical  and  unscrupulous  boss  of  all  pohtical 


219 

bosses,  Gov.  Hiram  Johnson.    After  the  close  of  the 
meeting  went  to  the  Tate  gallery  for  a  second  visit. 

August  19  and  20. — ^Busy  with  preparations  for 
departure  homeward. 

August  21, — Left  the  hotel  for  Waterloo  station, 
where  we  boarded  the  special  steamer  train  for  South- 
ampton and  the  steamer  Oceanic  of  the  White  Star 
line  for  New  York.  The  country  from  London  to 
Southampton  is  very  similar  in  appearance  to  other 
parts  of  England  that  we  have  seen,  slightly  rolling 
and  all  under  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  con- 
tinued rains  for  the  last  three  weeks,  while  making  the 
grass  and  trees  beautifully  green,  have  caused  enor- 
mous loss  to  the  farmers,  who  were  in  the  midst  of 
their  harvesting.  Wheat,  barley  and  oats  are  stand- 
ing in  the  shock,  much  of  it  black  and  rotten  and  in 
many  cases  sprouting.  The  hay  crop  is  absolutely 
ruined,  much  of  it  having  been  cut  and  lying  in  the 
swath. 

August  21  to  28. — Spent  in  crossing  the  Atlantic 
without  incident  of  special  interest,  and  after  landing 
in  New  York  on  the  latter  date  we  took  the  train  for 
Washington  city,  reaching  there  at  midnight.  Here 
endeth  the  journal. 


^.  ^.^, 


ii-:»i 


University  of 
Connecticut 

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